Angel With Demon Wings
by Alex McM
Summary: Rukia is an unfortunate sufferer of Multiple Personality Disorder. Her split personality is a sadistic and murderous girl called Hisana and Rukia must sruggle to gain control of herself before her world is destroyed. Contains gore and extreme violence.
1. Meet Rukia

_**ANGEL WITH DEMON WINGS**_

I was partially inspired by the awesome Layman and the rest came from my twisted mind. For fans of Clown, you will be happy, for those unfamiliar with Clown, play some soothing music, drink some hot chocolate and make sure the lights are on, because this story will get evil very quickly. Warning: Contains gore, language, graphic violence and pure nastiness. I hope you enjoy this story, please review, but if you want to flame, get f***d. 

**Meet Rukia**

I wake up to another day of my life. My bed is uncomfortable and the sheets are torn. I glare at them and trudge across my mud brown carpet towards the kitchen. I rent my flat, because I haven't the money to buy my own house. My parents abandoned me at birth so it's just me living here. I have a half-brother who would rather deny my existence than say hello to me, which tears me apart inside. Sibling rivalry is natural, but he just plain hates me...and I have done nothing wrong!

Sure there is a corpse under my bed, but I never killed the poor sap. It was my other half. Hisana, my 'inner sister' as I like to call her, has always been a wild one. When she takes hold of my body she will do anything, and by anything, I don't exclude murder...

The doctors called me crazy, but those doctors can't say anything again now. Hisana doesn't like to be insulted.

But enough about Hisana. My name is Rukia Kuchiki. Despite my aggressive, homicidal sister I am your average teenage girl. I go to school and have friends and stuff. Hisana doesnt care for friends, she tries to scare them away, but I won't allow her to ruin my life. Especially not today. Today I'm going to a birthday party. My friend Michiru is turning fifteen. She's one of the younger girls in my class and I barely know her, but I see this as a good opportunity to unwind and forget my miserable little charade of life.

It's Saturday and my neighbours radio is blaring out so loud that I can hear it through the thin, cracked walls. I curse and struggle through making toast. The toaster malfunctions and burns it to a blackened crisp that even a stray dog wouldn't touch. I frown at it briefly before hurling the cursed inedible mistake into a bin. It crumbles apart on impact with the in and leaves ashen crumbs on the floor. I leave it and stroll to the wardrobe.

I pick out a nice outfit, or at least by my standards. A black lace singlet and plain black pants. It's simple, but so is the rest of my life (Well, excluding Hisana.)

I grin at my reflection, despite my disgust. I don't hate myself, just the nutjob that fights for dominance over my brain. I'd never tell Hisana that I despise her, as I'm afriad of what she would do. She's never blinked while she slaughtered others, so I doubt she would be remorseful as she killed me/us. She knows I don't like to know what she does, so she makes sure I black out before she retreats back to the dungeon inside my head.

I've had flashes of vivid memories, but not enough to traumatize me, but then again, Hisana has never harmed my friends, only random strangers that if you blinked, would never be noticed. Half the time I don't even flinch when I find the blood on my hands. Sometimes I think it looks pretty...like a living canvas, but it makes hisana laugh and so I discard the thought and clean the mess. Hisana never does the cleaning. I always have to wipe up the stains and put the body in a bag before feeding it through the mulcher in the backyard. I feel awkward doing it, but it has to be done.

I walk out to the front door and slip leather boots onto my pale feet. There is another mirror by the door and I apply some eyeliner before heading out. I sigh when m eyes fall over the shovel on the floor. It's metal blade is brown and has dried mud caked to it. I leave it and walk donstairs and into the outside world.

For a second the light burns, but I adjust eventually and walk down the street with a well acted bounce in my step. I walk past tired people who glance over at me and then look away dissinterested. I'm just another person to them. Nothing interesting...nothing special...

Michiru's house is not far from here, but it is agonizingly boring. I pass the time by asking Hisana to leave me alone for the whole day. She giggles and then agrees, but I warn her again for safe measure, making idle threats that I would never carry out. She reluctantly agrees and I ask a question which stays unanswered. She really did leave! I'm free for a day!

I find myself outside Michiru's house. It's a bland little place. It has two storeys but the top floor only looks like a shack built over the roof. I wave like the other sheep do as I make my way to the front door. I hug the birthday girl and mutter a few kind words before stepping inside. Th house is oddly larger than it looks from outside. It's very spacious and quite luxurious. I stare like an idiot for a while before being led to a living room where all the girls from school are waiting.

And so starts a mind numbing few hours of girlish gossip and talk about which guys we like the most. I have one in mind but I stay quiet.

"So what about you Rukia-Chan? Who do you like?" Michiru chirps like a well fed bird.

"NO-one really..." I murmur, casting my gaze to a spot on the floor.

"Ha! You're going red! You like someone!" A girl with spiky black hair points and laughs. Her name is Tatsuki and she's tougher than most guys at school. Hisana sees her as a threat but I keep telling her there is nothing to worry about.

"I don't!" I wail like a silly little girl. It only provokes more laughter.

"Who is it?!" Another girl presses. Orihime, an air-headed bimbo who could be friends with a killer, even if she knew the identity, which is probably a good thing considering my situation. What she lacks in common sense, she makes up for in development. Guys drool over her and her chest.

It sickens me and makes Hisana want to crawl out and slit a throat or two. It's annoying that she has such a short fuse, but she is my sister and so I must live with it.

Orihime pokes me in the arm and asks a few more times. I close my eyes and whisper the name.

"Huh?" They all ask in unison.

"Ichigo..." I whisper slightly louder this time. They seem unaffected for a few seconds until the laughter begins.

"Really?!" Tatsuki bellows. "Mr Scowl?!" thats a nickname for Ichigo. He seems to have an angry face every time you see him, but I don't mind.

"He's nice when you get to know him!" I say in his defence.

"I've known him longer than you have and he's always in a pissy mood." Tatsuki giggles for a while and then we all calm down.

We chatter pointlessly for a while longer before we bring out the cake. It's a vanilla sponge cake with 'Happy birthday Michiru!' written in blue icing. Michiru claps excitedly as the cake is placed down on a table. Most of the girls gather around the table, but a handful go off to wash their hands or some toher menial task

Tatsuki leaves with Orihime, Ryo and some other girl I've never bothered to meet. Three others stay behind with me and Michiru.

Michiru asks me to go to the kitchen to get a knife. I stroll out of the room with a smile on my face. This night has been great so far. I was a little embarrassed earlier, but it's been releaxing and fun. Even better, Hisana hasn't shown her wretched face all day! I look around at the large kitchen and notice the knife rack on the counter. Something makes me pick up the larges knife in the rack. It's a monstrously large butcher knife more suited to carving into a cows hide than a cake, but it will do the job, so whatever.

As I return to my friends, I find myself staring at my reflection in the blade. It's oddly hypnotizing so I look away, but by then, I am lost. Just holding such a blade makes me feel a high I've never felt before. It males me laugh hysterically, reulting in a few confused gazes from the four girls sitting beside the cake.

I approach them, still laughing. The laughter dies down by the time I reach them but I feel a sudden urge to cut something. I look at the cake and realise that only the birthday girl can cut the cake...I have to cut something else...

'Shunk'

The sicklt sweet noise makes me moan. The blade sinks into the closest girls head and I feel it wade through brain matter and bone. I wrench it out and smile at the mortified expressions of my friends. I pounce on the next girl, ripping her throat open until a crimson waterfall is spraying my body. I squeal in delight and cut down another girl before turning on Michiru. She is so terrified that she can't even move. She gazes into my eyes and whimpers like a scared puppy. It raise the knife and give the nices smile I can muster.

"Happy birthday Michiru-San."

The blade embeds itself in her chest, forcing blood to erupt from the wound. She groans with a string of red drool as she falls back onto the floor. I crawl over her and stab again and again, relishing in the arterial spray that paints me from head to toe. When her torso is a lacerated pulp I lean back and realise what just happened.

My eyes narrow and a tear comes to my eyes, but 'She' wipes it away.

"You bitch!! You killed all of my friends!!" I scream at the monster in my mind.

"_What are you going to do?"_

"I'll fucking kill you!! I'll never forgive you for this!!" I pick up the knife and slash at the air, as if Hisana is merely an invisible ghost in front of me. Hisana laughs and I am forced to drop to my knees.

"_You can't hurt me! But I can still hurt you! I'll kill you and free myself!"_

"Free...yourself?" I repeat uncertainly just as my hand becomes possesed and turns the knife on myself. I stare at my hand as it jabs the knife into my stomach. I scream from the unbearable pain and Hisana's mocking laughter echoes in my mind. I clench my eyes shut and cry myself into unconsciousness.

Before I pass out completely, I see Tatsuki and Orihime return. Then I hear the screams. Then everything turns black...

Well, wasn't that lovely? If you liked that, then please review, otherwise, I won't write the next chapter. Also, if you want to flame, go away and complain to your bathroom mirror, because the only one who wants to hear your crap is yourself.


	2. Blind Eye Closes

**The Blind Eye Closes**

My eyes are burning, even though they are closed. I try to open them, but they only get halfway there before shutting again. I try again and it works. Bright light floods in like a river and I have to shut them again. I turn my head to the side and stare at a white wall. There is a strange looking machine next to me, with multiple tubes sprouting out from transparent bags. I follow the tubes with my eyes and realise they are stuck in my body.

I want to scream, but my throat is dryer than the Sahara desert. My memories of before are sketchy, but even though I was gone for most of the incident, I remember one image that will haunt me forever...The reflection in the bloodied knife...It was Hisana. She wore a wide grin and her manic gaze shall stay with me to the death. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but Hisana was involved and I've wound up in hospital.

The door to my left creaks open and the pitter-patter of light footsteps alerts me to a visitor's presence. I roll my head around lazily and gaze at the person standing near my bed. It's Tatsuki. I try and mutter her name, but all that comes out is a pathetic croak.

Tatsuki approaches me and sniffs. Her eyes are glistening with tears that have not yet fallen. She finds a seat next to the bed and she sits down awkwardly, as if the whole ordeal has made her forget how to do sit properly.

"How are you?" She asks, her voice unstable. It's taken so much out of her to just be sitting beside me right now. Whatever happened must have been absolutely terrible.

"Wh...Wha..." My voice gives out and I scowl in frustration. Tatsuki hands me a glass of water and I take it with a shaking hand. I bring the glass to my lips but my quivering hands cause some of it to spill down my chin. It's freezing cold but it wakes me up. As the soothing liquid clears my throat I try again to speak. "What...happened?"

Tatsuki takes a deep breath and wipes the tears from her eyes. I feel something on my hand and I look down to it is Tatsuki's hand, grasping mine. I try to smile, but the mood of the situation makes it difficult.

"Rukia...Can you not remember?"

I shake my head and she frowns, her gaze falling on my stomach, though I don't know why.

"Rukia...Someone...Oh god..." She closes her eyes and searches for the right words. "Michiru...She...Died." My eyes widen and Tatsuke gasps for breath again. "Someone came into the house and...Killed her...Two other girls were murdered as well..."

"No..." The image of Hisana reflected on a crimson-painted knife flashes up and suddenly my head aches as if it had been struck with a hammer. I curl up in a ball and yelp as the pain gnaws through my nerves and attacks my brain.

"Rukia! What's wrong?! Rukia?!" I can't respond to Tatsuki's cries so she runs to the door. "I need a doctor!! Hurry!!"

Tatsuki tries to pry my hands from my head but I scream at her to get out of the way. A trio of medical staff rush in and hold me down, but I try to fight them. I see a syringe in the hands of a nurse and I kick and scream more intensely. More hands restrain me as the thin piece of steel buries its sharp tip into my arm. I howl as it pokes through my vein and its mysterious contents are released into my bloodstream. In a matter of seconds I can barely move. My body has relaxed and so the doctors and nurses leave me, bar one or two who check the readings on the machinery around me.

Tatsuki remains frozen by the door, her gaze fixated on me. I reach out to her with a free hand but she begins to sob and walks away. My terrible loneliness returns as even the doctors depart. The only noise to accompany me is the ticking and beeping of the machines that are keeping me here.

As I lay in my hospital bed, with nothing to do but think, I began to relive the patches of memories of last night. It was like an old movie where some of the film had been lost.

_I hid my embarrassment and laughed with the girls. We had been talking about who we liked at school and my crush had been revealed. I changed the subject and we talked about something else. _

_I went into the kitchen and spotted a knife rack._

_I walked back into the living room with a giant blade in my hands._

_I stared at the corpses of my friends and the blood that covered my hands. I screamed and argued with no-one while slashing madly at something that did not exist. I then drove the knife into my own stomach..._

I gasp and run through the jumbled memories again. I eventually come to the conclusion that the hands that ended my friends were my own...but the mind that possessed them was that cruel bitch, Hisana! I allowed her to run free for too long and now she has not only killed my friends, but she tried to kill me! I will stop her! I must stop her! If I don't, then someone else will die and who knows who that could be.

I sit up and look at my reflection in a mirror on the other side of the room. I remember something Hisana said to me on that fateful night...she said she wanted to free herself...

My body is a prison for her and she wants to get out and reign terror over this town 24/7. If she freed herself, she would be unstoppable, but even when she is still trapped within me, she is a difficult adversary. Hisana shares my thoughts. She may not listen to the majority of them, but she is a cunning fox. I need to be careful if I want to succeed in catching her.

Even if it destroys me, I will bring her down. I can never let such a nightmare happen again...Because if Hisana is now going for those close to me...Then how long is it until she targets Ichigo?

The door opens again and this time two men in clean uniforms walk in. They look serious and judging from their uniform they may be policemen. One of them smiles a smile that is clearly obligatory, but I don't care, it eases my pain. The other merely approaches me and glares at my wounded stomach.

"Hello miss. We know you are still in shock from the incident, but we would like to ask you some questions. Is that okay?"

"Sure." I answer. I know even if I told them to piss off they would just pressure me into agreeing anyway.

"Firstly, did you know anyone who would have a grudge against your friends or yourself?" The kind officer asked.

I know the answer, but I doubt they would believe me...And even if they did, what could they do? I shrug my shoulders and make them skip to the next question.

"Okay, do you know any violent people in the neighbourhood? People who would possibly hurt someone?"

Again, that answer is obvious, but I don't want to reveal my intentions yet. Hisana would catch on quickly if I began to spill everything on her. "No." I mutter.

The nasty looking officer takes his turn now, staring squarely at me with cold little eyes that make me feel slightly afraid. "Ma'am, did you ever see the person who attacked you?"

"No. I don't remember much really. Sorry..."

The kind officer smiles again. "No need to be sorry. These things can't be helped. Now-" The nasty guy interrupts.

"Miss, do you have any psychological disorders?" The question throws me off-guard and I cough all of a sudden and look around anxiously. I don't know what to say! Should I reveal my condition? Though that would lead them to Hisana! I can't let them know!

"No. I have no medical conditions." I whisper croakily.

"Really?" The nasty policeman grins wickedly and produces a file from his coat. My eyes narrow and he grins wider. "Well, this file says different! It says in here that you suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder. How do explain that miss?"

I begin to shake uncontrollably. I've never really been terrified before, but this man scares me. He broke down my wall of secrecy. He must know about Hisana and-

"AAAAAAGGGGHHH!!" I scream. My body moves of its own accord (Or Hisana's) and grabs the bulky man by the throat. The movement tears the tubes out my body and spray their contents on the floor. The officer grunts and throws me into the wall. The kind officer tries to scold his partner, but his life is cut short before he can utter more than two words. Hisana removes the gun from the nice man's holster and fires a bullet up through his chin into his brain. The top of his skull explodes in a fountain of gore.

The other officer reaches for his gun but Hisana uses reflexes that would match that of a soldier and fires into his wrist. The officer's hand drops uselessly by his side and Hisana strolls over to him, licking blood from her lips.

"You bitch!" The officer snarls. He runs towards her, but she puts a bullet in each knee, sending him hurtling to the floor. By now the numerous gunshots are drawing a crowd, but the corpse of the first officer is blocking it off. Hisana walks over and locks the door before returning to finish off the nasty man.

"I can't have you digging up my secrets can I?" Hisana asks in a voice that should have come from a graceful young lady, not a crazed murderer.

"Argh! Fuck!" The officer grasps his wounded knees and glares at his opponent.

"Here's an interesting little fact...That killer you're looking for...It's me!" Hisana laughs wickedly and presses the barrel up to the officer's eye. "_See _you in hell officer!" As soon as the bullet is fired, she smashes the glass window and leaps out into the open air.

She hits the ground with a jarring impact, but her adrenaline keeps her up and running. She sprints through back alleys and eventually finds herself back at the flat, and then Hisana retreats back into the subconscious of her sister.

_Rukia, you stupid fool! You shouldn't get yourself in trouble like that...because you know I won't go down with you!_

Hisana has struck again! Rukia must act fast to stop her insane second self before more fall to Hisana's twisted games. But will she be able to outsmart a villain who shares the same brain as her?! Find out in the next chapter!!

Please review! I want some feedback...actually scrap that. I NEED feedback! It's the only way to tell if you people are actually enjoying this, or I am wasting my time. So click on that little green box and write a comment. It's not difficult and it benefits us both.

**_REVIEW!!!_**


	3. Trapped Together

**Trapped Together**

I awoke with a numbing pain in my head. It's worse than the morning after the stabbing, but not far off. I'm no longer in the hospital, but I'm still in the hospital gown. I frown and study my new surroundings. I'm in a large yet cramped room.

Weak light is spilling in through a dusty window allowing me to see the old furniture stacked against each wall. There is a layer of dust covering everything in the room, probably even my own skin. I stand and suddenly get a chill down my back; thankfully it's just from the backless gown, not fear.

_Don't complain! This is the best I could get at such short notice!_

Hisana sounds agitated, but I don't know why. "What happened?" I ask her. She chuckles, a sound that I should be used to, but now I know what's coming. I've worked out that whatever follows that throaty chuckle is always terrible.

_I busted you out! The cops knew everything, so I wasted them!_

I curse under my breath and look around at the strange room. "So...this is the hideout?"

_Don't worry! I've got everything worked out. You just have to sit here and relax._

This may go horribly wrong...

I switch on the TV and try to immerse myself in other people's problems, unfortunately, a familiar face pops up...Mine!

A sad looking reporter flicks back her hair and clears her throat. "A terrible incident has occurred today." She almost chokes on the words and she has to pause to take a deep breath. "A young girl has been abducted from a local hospital today. She was interred there after being stabbed at a party only yesterday. Police are alleging that the same attacker from then is the one who has taken her now."

She's right about that...

"The attacker burst into her room and shot dead two policemen who were in the room with her. The man then fled through the open window and ran off."

"You just can't stop can you?" I ask my sister. She just laughs.

The news reporter closes her eyes and appears to be on the verge of tears. "A note was sent to both the police and one of the girl's friends. It read..." The woman sniffed and wiped away a tear. "Excuse me...It...It read..."

A typed version of the letter was shown onscreen.

"Hello there. Wondering where your little friend is? Don't worry, she will e soon joining her lost party pals. I have her held hostage in my home. Catch me if you can, but by then she will have suffered to the point that she will be begging for death...but I won't let it happen...not yet!"

The shot returned to the reporter who was now getting hugged by a co-anchor. The woman cradled her head in her hands and admitted she could not go on with it, so the man beside her took over.

"A photograph was given to police...Beware, this may disturb some viewers."

A photograph of a clump of black hair and an eyeball held in a severed hand came up and I instantly retched. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I could stand seeing someone who was stabbed, it was nothing too graphic, just a hole or two and some blood, but this was absolutely abominable!

_I guess you don't like my latest piece, entitled "Remnants of a stolen child."_

"Fuck you!" I scream at my subconscious sister. "You've gone too far!! I can't let you go on like this!"

_Don't think you can stop me, sis! I'm the one with the true brains! If you try and get in my way then I will treat you as one of my enemies...And you know what happens to my enemies, don't you sis?_

"You monster! I won't let you kill anymore!"

_You are not in a position to be calling the shots! You don't realise that I am part of your subconscious! How are you supposed to convict your psyche? _

"I'll find a way!" I yell defiantly, but at this point have no clue how.

_You've always been a moron. No wonder mommy and daddy left you in the gutter to die!_

That hurts. I fall to my knees and grasp the sides of my head, rage welling up inside me. "How dare you say that!! Mum and Dad had a very good reason! They loved me and it tore them apart to see me go!"

_Really? What was that reason?_

I stop and try to think, but Hisana interrupts me with another taunt that hits me like a ton of bricks.

_They didn't love you! They couldn't look at you the same way when the doctors told them you were sub-normal!_

"Stop it!!" I scream. I can't believe I'm being psychologically tortured by my own mind. It makes no sense, but the worst part is that Hisana could be telling the truth.

_Mum and Dad were embarrassed to have little Rukia-Chan in their clan, so they tried to get rid of you! They wanted to just kill you and end things there, but they didn't want to be caught, so they decided to abandon you._

"SHUT UP!! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" I can't take it anymore. I slam my head into the wall until it cracks. Blood trickles down my forehead and out of one nostril. Hisana just laughs. I can't help myself. I scream and hit the furniture, knocking over a pile of boxes and trashing the little room. The tantrum brings me to tears and I sink into the couch and weep for some time, all the while, Hisana continues to laugh mockingly at me.

_It's only a matter of time Rukia...Soon we will part ways! I'll abandon you just like your parents! When that time comes, you will sacrifice yourself and I will become free! _

A thought springs to mind at that point. I know I shouldn't say it, but something inside makes me tell all. "So, if you're going to kill me either way, then there's no point doing as you say! I'll stop you and end your wretched life!"

_Ha ha ha! To kill me, you have to kill yourself!_

"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" I growl. Hisana falls silent. She thinks I'm serious, but I doubt I could ever bring myself to suicide. I've thought about it for long, arduous years, but I've never had it in me to harm myself. Unfortunately, if it is the only way...then what choice do I have? Even if I did, who would care? My own parents left me for dead when I was only a little kid. As far as they are concerned, I don't even exist anymore, I'm just an empty shell of a person, with no name or past.

My friends are in danger merely because I am alive. If anything, it would be better for them if I were just gone...Maybe I should-

No! I can't! I can't let Hisana win! Even though it will destroy her, I'd be achieving victory in the same way she does, through murder. I can't stoop to her level! I have to defeat her without ending a life...Though that is even harder than it sounds...

_Watcha thinking about? _

She's back. I prepare myself for another session of emotional pain and Hisana takes notice.

_Oh, had enough have you? If you hate me so much, then why don't you get started on getting rid of me? I won't retaliate; I want to see what you can do. I'll give you one attempt. If you beat me, then you are worthy of freedom, but if you fail, then I will bring about your end and destroy everything precious to you!_

Wordlessly, I accept her challenge and I begin to think of her. I start off thinking of her normally, and then I begin to imagine her getting sick, getting weak, getting hurt. I imagine every conceivable way of harming her and after forty minutes I decide to check to see if she's there.

"How are you feeling?"

_You bitch!_

She is really angry. I think its working.

_I'm calling off the challenge!! Stop it now or I will kill you where you stand!!_

For the first time in a while, a smile comes to my face. I have her scared. I really have a chance of getting rid of her, but to do that, I need to go further. I begin to picture her cowering in a corner, huddled in a ball and sobbing.

_Stop it!!_

She begs for mercy, but it won't stop me now! I want her gone! I want Hisana...to die!

I cast my mind on Hisana lying in a hospital bed, with tubes sticking out of her body and with a line-up of sombre faces around her. They check the machines around her and then discuss something amongst themselves. After a short chat, they pull the plug and Hisana passes on.

_NO!! STOP IT NOW!!! DON'T THINK I WONT KILL YOU!!! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!!!_

I have more vivid daydreams. This time of her getting stabbed and shot and all manner of horrible things. I envision countless different deaths for my hated sister and then I realise that it's been three hours since I started my little endeavour..

Hisana hasn't spoken for about twenty minutes now...

I feel tired now. I set up a bed on the couch in the cramped little room and I drift off, having dreams of Hisana in pain and getting tortured. I give her the same treatment she has given to others, hoping that it will end my nightmare once and for all...

If Hisana was created by my mind, then it is my mind that can end her as well, I just have to convince myself that she is dead. I don't want to sound too cocky, but I think I'm winning my inner war. Maybe tomorrow can be the first day of a new life...A new start...A new Rukia Kuchiki.

Has Rukia finally gotten the upper hand on her sister? Has the monstrous Hisana been destroyed, or is the vile, manipulative little hellraiser going to return, madder than ever?

Hopefully, you enjoyed the story and will review. I don't mind constructive criticism, but no flames. Praise can only make me better, so **_PLEASE REVIEW__!_**


	4. Restart

Sorry for the wait, but I was caught up in other projects. Now enjoy the next installment of 'Angel with Demon Wings'.

_**Restart**_

I wake up with a beaming smile. It's been two days now and Hisana still has not appeared. I think I really must have defeated her...but it was a bit easy. Was I really overestimating Hisana that much? Could she really have been just all talk and no action?

Well, no matter. That chapter of my life is over! I'm about to begin my life of freedom. No more worries about my dark side or anything like that, just me doing what I want, every single day!

I rise from the dirty couch and decide to go to the police and make up a lie about the abductor letting me go and deciding to flee the country, that will throw them off and I will be free from any more hassle.

I gather up my things and go down to the local police station which is only a few blocks away. They stare at me in awe as I stroll through with a care-free air about me.

"Excuse me...Are you...Rukia Kuchiki?" One of the officers asks.

I nod curtly and their jaws drop.

"What happened?! You were taken from the hospital by some psycho and-"

"He let me go." I answer for them.

"What?" They take out notebooks and pencils, that will be handy. I won't have to repeat myself endlessly.

"He said he was going to flee the country and escape from the police who were hounding him..." I speak in a way which sounds like I'm struggling to remember what my imaginary abductor said. The police scribble down their notes and then lead me into a secure room where they ask me more questions.

"What did he look like?"

I don't know. He always wore a mask." I lie.

"Okay, would you be able to guess his age according to his voice?"

"Probably about thirty or so."

"And what kind of build did he have?"

"Quite skinny, but he was definitely strong!" I craft another lie, forming an imaginary picture in my head. It's probably wrong to lie like this, but the truth is just too strange to grasp.

The interrogation doesn't last much longer, only a few minutes more and then they let me go. A young woman approaches me swinging keys around one finger.

"I'll drop you off home."

"Ok." I mutter.

She walks me to her car, a small black sedan and I hop into the driver's seat. The woman leans back in her seat and sighs.

"Poor kid. I can only imagine what you must have been going through..." She looks off vacantly for a second and then slaps herself in the face. "How silly! I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, pleased to meet you!"

"I'm Rukia..." I whisper, still surprised by her sudden change in attitude. I extend a hand for her to shake but she leans over and hugs me. Her long blonde hair get's in my eyes and I blink to get rid of them. When she sits back again I can't help but notice her ridiculously large bust.

"One day." She says softly before bursting out laughing. It takes a moment but then I catch on and laugh with her.

As she drives, she asks me questions about my life and I answer truthfully. There's something about this woman which makes me happy. It would be good to make a new friend since I lost so many in what the media entitled 'The birthday massacre'.

After a while we begin cracking jokes and just when things are getting fun we arrive outside my flat. I frown when I realise it's over and Matsumoto seems to notice.

"You know, you're a pretty good kid. I can't imagine why someone would want to pick on you? Well, that's the world we live in nowadays." I nod and open the door. Just as I step out, she places a hand on my shoulder and drags me back. She hands me a card and I study it as she talks.

"If you ever need help, or just someone to talk to, give me a call."

"Sure. Um...Thanks." I wave to her as she pulls out of the gutter and drives off. My smile fades when I realise she is gone.

I begin the tiring walk up the stairs. My flat is on the top floor, though I could inhabit the entire house because no-one else lives there. There were two inhabited flats, one was a single man who had been fired from his job and was waiting to get a new job. The other was a middle-aged couple. The single man got hired in a bank and moved to another city. The couple were murdered by Hisana.

No-one ever really cared. They didn't put the flats up for sale; they just left it to rot. I try to take care of it whenever I can, but lately the garden has grown into a forest infested with bugs that could potentially kill me. The pain has rotted away on the outside, but a new paint job would be too expensive, so I've just left it. The mouldy wooden fence has to be repaired every week. There used to be a guy who came around to do it, but now I have to. Today, luckily is not one of those days. They decaying wooden planks are holding up just fine.

As I walk up the stairs I watch a cockroach crawling ahead of me. I need not hunt it down. I bought thirty packets of cockroach baits to stop them. There was never a pest problem until Hisana decided to leave one of her 'play-things' out in the open for a few days. Then the bugs came. Since then there has been a constant battle for dominance between me and the invading insects.

I shrug it off and enter my room. I can't believe my eyes. My room had been ransacked while I was away! Who would rob from a dingy, festering hell-hole like this?!

I check through my drawers and make sure nothing is missing. After a lengthy search, I come to the conclusion that someone has stolen my bank card, wallet and for some reason, most of my cutlery...

I guess it's understandable. This area is a poor neighbourhood. There are a few homeless people and sometimes they raid the houses in search for strange items. I curse them and drop onto my bed. If this is the least of my problems, then this is still a hell of a lot better than before. I can deal with break-in's, they are common, but living with a crazed serial killer is another thing altogether!

The clean-up takes some time out of my day. It takes a few hours and by the time I'm finished it's time to make dinner for myself.

I find some rice and some beef which is a few days past the 'use by date'. I cook a simple dish and devour it ravenously before retiring to the bed to watch television.

There is a news story about my 'miraculous escape' some familiar officers give details I gave them. They then interview the police chief and a few other high ranking people. I mute it, not bothered to hear them brag about catching a criminal who no longer exists.

That changes when Matsumoto's face flashes up. I turn the volume up and listen intently.

"I spoke with the girl today and she seems to be very happy to have escaped from that man. She is a delightful young lady and to think that someone would try and hurt her..." She trembles for a second and tries to calm herself. She then glares into the camera. "If you're watching this, then I just want to warn you! I will find you and I will make you pay for what you have done!"

I smile as the report ends with words of agreement from the two anchors back at the studio. I reach for the remote so that I can change the channel, but then a new story grabs my interest.

# A young man was brutally murdered today in Karakura town. His body was found inside his own house, hung from the ceiling by a length of chord. Police have stated that he was killed in a method used by the Vikings in middle ages, called the 'Blood Eagle'. We have an illustration of what that is, but we warn you, the image you are about to see is very graphic.#

A picture of a bland, faceless person came up on screen. In the next shot his spine was cut with a grey line, and then the ribs were broken and bent out his back to look like wings.

I couldn't watch the rest. Even though it was just a drawing, the thought of it actually happening to some kid was just awful.

I opened my eyes when the reporter was back.

#Authorities are claiming they are already on the hunt for the killer, though there are no current leads to follow.#

An ad break comes on and I switch off the TV. There's something troubling me about this 'new' serial killer...But I can't figure out what it is...

Since there is no way I can sleep for a long while yet, I busy myself by cleaning up the last of the mess made by the thief, trying to forget the last news story. There's something terribly wrong about the story that makes me feel uneasy, and I just hope that the killer doesn't know me...

* * *

I somehow got a few measly hours of sleep, but when I wake up, I feel almost as bad as I did when I was in hospital. I have a headache and my eyes are crustier than a rusted shipwreck.

I rifle through my medicine cabinet and find some Aspirin. I take some and the rub my eyes. I look like I've been beaten up and then hit by a car, but I should be feeling fine. My wounds have almost healed and the tiny pain that strikes up now and then isn't even enough to make me wince. My life is finally normal, so why is there a feeling of dread hanging over me, like a thunder cloud?

I try to ignore my negative feelings and drown my parched throat I scalding hot coffee. It burns me awake and I pour a bowl of No-name cereal into a cracked porcelain bowl. I take a carton of milk out of the fridge and pour a large amount over the bland cereal.

By the time I've put the milk back in the fridge and started eating, the flakes are soggier than a newspaper left out in a storm. They taste like garbage, but I eat it anyway, not wanting to start the day on an empty stomach. They always say breakfast is the most important meal of the day...Even if it is cheap cereal that has less flavour than cardboard.

When the tasteless meal is finished I get dressed in some clean clothes and skip down the stairs and outside.

Today I intend on meeting up with Tatsuki and Orihime, to put their fears to rest and enjoy a day out without my cursed sister tagging along. It will be a great day with nothing bad happening.

Unless of course that 'new' killer decides to hunt down another victim...

Rukia's evil sister is gone, but is she defeated? And who is this new serial killer? Something is not right in the little town of Karakura and for some reason it revolves around an unfortunate 15 year old girl with MPD. Will Rukia enjoy her normal life for much longer or will something terrible happen? Read on to find out!

Please review!


	5. Abnormal Life

**Abnormal Life**

I stroll casually out into the street, excited at the prospect of a normal day for once. Hisana's cursed life has ceased and my free life is about to begin. The new chapter of my life is off to a good start. I've already made a new friend...Even if she is a police-woman...

I skip down the cracked road, feeling on top of the shattered and broken world. I arouse curious stares from onlookers, as if I'm high on one of the many drugs dealt in the surrounding area. The truth is, I'm high on life, as cheesy as it sounds it's still the truth.

I wind up in Tatsuki's street and my heart begins thumping in my chest. Not because I'm close to Tatsuki's house, but because of another resident in the street. I stroll cautiously along the path and stop near his house. I can sense him, somehow and it makes me feel warm inside.

The Kurosaki clinic. It's an old building that's been around for many years. It used to be a general practice but eventually a hospital was built and the patients weren't coming in so the building was ordered to be knocked down but then the Kurosaki family purchased it and renovated the place, styling it into a house with a small clinic still out the back. They get a few patients now and then, but they don't mind.

Still the most remarkable thing about it is the boy who lives there...Ichigo Kurosaki. I don't know what fascinates me so much...Maybe it's his striking orange hair, maybe it's his personality (Not that I'd know, I've only seen him, never spoken.) Maybe it's the strange scowl that is ever planted on his face; as if he's suffered a life like mine...Maybe we have both lived through hardship? In that case I'm sure we'd make the best of friends...

"Stalking him again huh?" A familiar voice says jokingly. I spin on my heels and almost bump into Tatsuki who jumps back for a second. She studies me up and down, as if she'd expected me to arrive with a peg-leg or something. When she is satisfied with her little check-up she lunges, hugging me so tightly it almost suffocates me.

"I'm so glad you're okay! It was so scary!!"

She begins to sob and I pat her back while reassuring her I'm fine. Tatsuki sniffs and rubs her eyes before flashing me a beaming smile. "I'm sure you don't want to talk about that now...Do you want to meet him?"

"Huh?" I tilt my head to side like a dog faced with an unfamiliar command.

"Ichigo." Tatsuki explains. "I've been friends with him for years. He'll love it..." She gives me a wry smile. "You'll love it too!"

My cheeks burn red and I stare at the road while shaking my head.

"Oh come on! Your silly crush is only a waste of time! Just meet him and get it over with!" She tries pushing me towards the house but I struggle and argue further.

"No, I don't want to bother him!"

"So you'll just sit in the gutter and watch his house for all eternity instead? Come on! Don't be silly!"

"You're the one being silly! I don't want to go in!" I scold her and she hangs her head sorrowfully.

"Fine." She says, deadpan. We both fall silent for a few seconds before her head snaps up and she grins at me. "Wait here a moment!"

"What? Why?"

"Just hold on!" Tatsuki runs off to a tree in the front yard of Ichigo's neighbour. The tree is tall with thick winding branches that are just begging to be climbed. I follow slowly, eying her curiously. I can't tell whether she just wanted to climb or if she has an ulterior motive. She climbs for a few minutes and I'm pretty sure now that she just wanted to climb the tree.

We used to do it a lot when we were younger, but eventually Hisana got in the way, trying to make me fall, so that game had to end. Now that she's gone I feel a strange nostalgia, bringing me back to the wonderful times as young children when we would scale the organic towers in our own little worlds, trying to reach the sky...It's-

'THUMP'

It all happened so fast! I didn't even see it happen, I just heard the sound. I stare at the thing lying in the grass, moaning softly. I can't believe my eyes. It's Tatsuki!

I rush over her and frantically try and ask her if she's okay, but I'm panicking so much that my words run together and my question is indecipherable. "What happened?!" I scream.

Tatsuki is crying. I've never seen her cry ever since third grade when she broke her arm in a karate tournament. If she was crying now, then this was serious. "The...The branch broke...It hurts, it hurts!"

"What hurts?! Is it your arms? Back? Neck?!" I spurt out random body parts, getting steadily more concerned with each one.

"All of them!" Tatsuki cries.

I feel my body go rigid. I've never felt so scared of something other than Hisana...This is strange.

"Take me to the clinic!" Tatsuki sobbed. "Hurry!"

"O-Okay! Sure!" I put my discomfort aside and carry (Well...More like drag) her over to the Kurosaki clinic. As I bash my fists on the door I suddenly feel so nervous. My knuckles are visibly white. Not Caucasian white, real white...Like milk.

The door handle shifts and the door creaks as it opens. Of all the people to answer the door...It's him. Ichigo.

"Tatsuki? What the hell happened to her?!" He stares right at me and I'm suddenly speechless. If first impressions count then I'm not in a good place right now. "What's wrong with her?" He repeats, more irritated this time.

"She...She...She fell..." I stutter, my cheeks glowing redder than a rose. He studies me curiously and I feel like I'm on the verge of fainting. "Please help her!!" I shriek and I fall to my knees and begin begging.

The boy gives me a strange look and then takes Tatsuki. He drags her inside and I stand in the doorway, frozen like a statue.

"You can come in!" He yells from the other room, already in the infirmary.

I snap out of my hypnosis and stumble inside. I wander around and find a seat near the infirmary. I sit rigidly, still worried about Tatsuki, though something else is on my mind now. That expression when I begged for help...It was almost, I don't know...Almost...A smile?

"Where did she fall from?" Ichigo asked in a voice that made me want to squeal with delight.

"A tree." I murmur, blushing for no real reason.

"What the hell was she doing in a tree?!"

"Climbing...I guess..."

He shrugs and lifts her shirt to study some large bruises on her back. He sucks his teeth and frowns.

"A nasty fall...She should be fine, no broken bones or anything but she'll be in quite a lot of pain until those bruises clear up. She just needs to rest for a moment."

"Oh thank you so much Ichi-" I stop myself, mid-sentence. My mouth is still hanging open like a broken zipper and he stares at me quizzically for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Ah...I'm uh...Um..." I can't believe it. I've forgotten my own bloody name. I fish around in my mind and finally remember who I am. "Rukia!" I yell over excitedly. "Rukia Kuchiki."

"Pleased to meet you. I think I've seen you before..." Ichigo grasps his chin and looks to the roof for a moment before glancing at me. "Were you on TV not long ago?"

I giggle nervously. "Yeah..."

"What for? You in a talent show or something?" If this were a game show a buzzer would have gone off.

"No...I was...Um...Kidnapped." I end with a shy laugh.

Ichigo however almost chokes on the air he's breathing and his eyes swell to the size of golf balls. "Kidnapped?! By who?! When?! Why?!"

"Remember the 'Birthday massacre'?" I ask with a frown.

"Yeah...It was some local girls who were brutally murdered by some psycho. I heard Orihime and Tatsuki were there and someone else was there who survived..."

"I was that other girl." I reply quietly. I almost blurt out "And I was the killer." But I stop myself just in time.

"Really? I'm sorry. That must have been terrible..." His sympathy seems to make me feel so much better and my nerves subside enough for me to reply in a sentence without any stuttering.

"Not as bad as being kidnapped from hospital."

"No way!! Seriously?!" His jaw drops and I nod in assurance. "What a bastard! Did they catch the guy?"

"He fled the country before letting me go." I say proudly.

"Wait a minute! I remember hearing something about this...But I thought it was a girl with a mental condition?!"

My heart stops. This next sentence could make or break it for me. I look around nervously and sigh. "It was me...I have- Uh, I mean, I _had _Multiple Personality Disorder."

"Had?!"

"Well...My 'sister' has gone on permanent vacation so I no longer have a split personality."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Life is full of hardship."

"No kidding." Ichigo murmurs and we suddenly fall silent for an agonisingly long time. I think I've somehow struck a raw nerve, though I can't understand how.

"You have a mother?" He suddenly breaks the silence.

I stare at him as if he just asked me if I can speak Arabic. "Of course I do. Why?"

His face suddenly darkens. "Because I don't." He closes his eyes and when he opens them again his gaze bores through me. "She was murdered."

I gasp and suddenly I'm really nervous again. "Did...Did they ever catch the killer?" I ask, trying to keep the conversation going.

"No, but I saw her!"

"Her?!" I choke.

His silence makes me feel terrible so I decide to change the topic. "So...I've seen you around a lot at school. It's a wonder why we've only met today."

"I've been avoiding you." Ichigo says simply.

"Huh?" I wish to whatever false deity is fashionable at the moment that I misheard him. But as expected my prayers aren't answered.

"I said I avoided you."

"Why?! What did I ever do to you?!" I yell defensively.

Ichigo's expression at that moment will haunt me till my death. His eyes glowed almost hatefully and my heart stopped and my blood froze in my veins. His gaze penetrated my eyes and I felt like I was in a trance. All I could do was listen to his words.

"It's because...You look exactly like the woman who killed my mother..."

Well, isn't that an interesting development? Surely it's just coincidence? Rukia is in trouble now...

Please review! 


	6. Scars Of The Past

_**Scars Of The Past**_

Ichigo's glare burns and I feel weak. I stare at him, paralysed. I've never seen anyone so angry before, it's terrifying.

"It's because you look exactly like the woman who killed my mother..."

It feels like time has stopped. The world is frozen in this moment of utter shock. I stare straight ahead with blank eyes as if I'm a robot that has been turned off. My body stiffens and then...I fell.

I can hear Ichigo worrying about me and asking me if I'm alright, but I can't respond. It's as if I'm in my own world, away from everything else around me. My head hits the ground hard and black splotches appear in my field of vision. They soon disappear and so does Ichigo's house. I'm no longer in reality...I'm trapped within my own mind.

I look around nervously and recognise the old decaying house I'm in. This is a memory...And I already know it's a bad one.

_I'm sitting on a padded chair between my parents. It was when I was only two years old, the day my life became a living hell. _

_The doctor sits across from us; his white coat touches the floor when he's sitting down. He wears thick framed glasses and has curly brown hair. _

_"Dr Aizen, what is wrong with her? We've seen so many doctors but they're all stumped. We need to know what's wrong with our little Rukia." My mother is crying. _

_I tug at her sleeve and she gently nudges me, telling me to go to the play area. I walk over to the little kid's corner and begin building a tower made of wooden blocks; all the while the doctor discusses things with my parents. _

_"Mr and Mrs Kurosaki, I've done many tests, but I have not yet come to a conclusion. I want to perform further tests and I will inform you immediately if I find anything."_

_"But...We don't have much time right now." Dad says. _

_The doctor clasps his hands together. "I was hoping she could stay in our facility for tonight only. That way I can conduct all the tests and monitor her behaviour as well." My parents stare at him. "Well, if a psychological analysis doesn't turn up any results, her behavioural patters may well provide the key to a diagnosis. Please consider it. This is after all for the benefit of your daughter."_

_There is a long silence between the adults. My parents watch me playing with some toys and then they stand up and walk over. They both kiss my forehead and give me a hug and then they walk out. I begin to follow when the doctor stops me. _

_"Excuse me Rukia; I wanted to know if you'd like to have a sleepover tonight?"_

_I look towards the door and then back at the doctor. I nod and he takes me to a sealed off room with strange equipment scattered over a table. There is a pile of papers and many other things. The doctor lifts me into a chair and then sits down opposite me, holding a pile of cards. He shows me the first one; it's a big black splotch. He asks me what it is and it's then that I see a butterfly. _

_"A butterfly."_

_"Good, now this one." He shows me the next card. It looks like a castle. The next looks like a fish. He goes through many of the cards and then he comes to the last one. It's another big splotch of ink and for a while I can't see anything. It just looks like spilled ink, but then..._

_"A skull."_

_The doctor nearly falls off his chair and spins the card around to see it himself. His eyebrows shuffle about as he thinks. He then shows me the cards again. _

_This time, I keep giving him different answers. _

_"A puddle, a leg, a monster, a knife."_

_The doctor seems more and more shocked as he goes through them. He puts the cards away and then starts talking to me, asking many questions about me, my family, my home, everything. Every now and then I feel a little voice inside of me, yelling out the answers, though only I can hear her. I repeat her answers for the doctor, but every time he looks scared. _

* * *

_The memories flash forward to the next day. Once again, my parents are sitting on either side of me; the doctor is opposite, his expression grave. _

_"Mr and Mrs Kurosaki, I've never come across a case like this before..." He trails off._

_"Is it bad?" Mum asks._

_"Your daughter is expressing symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder, or MPD. In short, she has a split personality which is the reason for her acting out and being unusually aggressive at times. I'm afraid your daughter is...well, mentally insufficient. Don't get me wrong, she is smart for her age, but this disorder usually gets progressively worse throughout life. She would have to be cared for extensively and most likely sent to an institution for a while."_

_"Are you telling me that our little girl isn't normal?"_

_The doctor nodded hesitantly._

_"Impossible! I know my daughter better than anyone! She's perfect and nothing you can say will change that!" My mother hugged me fiercely as she roared at the doctor._

_"Listen to me! Your daughter has been exhibiting psychopathic behaviours. If left untreated who knows what awful things she could do?"_

_My parents suddenly froze. "Psycho...Psychopathic?"_

_"Yes. I mean no ill intention to you but your daughter could one day grow up to be a killer if not properly treated. I can refer her to a nearby institution and she can spend some time there for further analysis."_

_My father got up from his chair and stormed out. He stood in the hallway for a minute before returning, his face red. "I give up! No-one understands...They just won't accept her. I can't bring her up in such a way! I can't do it!"_

_The doctor tried to reason with my father. Mother just watched on horrified. I had no idea what was going on, but I heard my name enough times to know it was me. The little voice returned, urging me to make a stand. _

_"Run" She told me. "They hate you. They don't love you! Run away and show them...Show them you don't need them either!"_

_I couldn't say no, even if I tried. My body was already moving. I hopped down from the chair and ran out of the room, my legs ached and my chest burned but I kept going. _

_I was followed of course and eventually brought back to my parents. They studied me with wide eyes and my mother began to speak. _

_"Let's let her decide. If she loves us, we'll take her home and love her back, if she doesn't, then we failed her. We have no choice but to let her go."_

_"You can't be serious?" The doctor yelled._

_My father signalled for him to be quiet and all eyes fell on me. Mum kneeled down to be level with me and began stroking my cheek. "So, sweetheart...Do you love us?"_

_I searched inside myself for the answer and decided I did love her. I wanted to scream it out loud. I couldn't agree with that little inner voice, it just felt wrong. I opened my mouth to speak, but someone else answered._

_"No." I was as shocked as they were. The voice inside, the nasty little girl who resided within me...She said no...Why?_

_I wanted to correct myself, but she kept going. "I hate you!" I bit my tongue and tried to stop myself but it wouldn't stop. It was like a nightmare I could wake up from. "I want you both dead!"_

_The faces of my parents then were the final indication. It was the first time I realised I didn't belong, it was the last time I ever saw them, the last time I heard their voice...The last time I ever felt I was loved..._

* * *

My mind skipped again to when I was younger, about twelve years old. Hisana had begun to take more and more control over my body. She would hit me, or others and I wasn't allowed to go to school for a whole month because Hisana had pushed a boy down the stairs.

I sat at home the whole day, alone. I was living with a foster family but they had been dead for a whole year and the government never found out. Hisana had used my step father's power tools to murder them all. He was killed with an angle grinder, his wife with a jig-saw.

I woke up halfway through and Hisana and I had an argument, though she regained control, allowing her to kill the children too. I still don't know where she hid their bodies, frankly, I never want to know.

_In the memory, Hisana stalked a young family home from the supermarket. There were two young girls and their two parents. The father had a light goatee and black hair. The mother was stunningly beautiful, with flowing chestnut hair and a smile that made the sun seem darker by comparison. I had seen her several times dropping off the kids at school, though there was supposed to be a third child, a boy around my age..._

_They walked past a karate dojo. The mother remained behind and the others walked on home. Hisana chose to prey on the lone woman. I wasn't even conscious to try and persuade her to stop, though even when I do, it means nothing to her. _

_The woman stepped inside and several children pushed past her, leaving dressed still in their uniforms. She waved at them as they ran past. When the doorway was clear she went inside and Hisana followed. _

_Inside, the teacher was locking up. He greeted the woman and smiled. _

_"Your boy is just in the locker. He'll be out soon." The mother nodded. "Hey, could you do me a favour? I have to go; could you lock up the dojo before you go?"_

_The woman nodded again and the man thanked her as he ran out of the dojo, failing to notice me standing in the shadows cast by the large bamboo door. _

_The woman sat down and looked around at the ornamental weapons on the walls. While she was distracted Hisana (It's me, even if it's her in control it's my body...I have to accept it now...) Anyway, while she was distracted I crept up behind her and took an ornamental sword from the wall. The hefty weapon was difficult to lift but I managed somehow. I strolled up behind her and roared as I brought the blade down. The woman screamed as the blade buried itself in her shoulder. Blood spurted out, showering me head to toe._

_The woman wept in pained sobs as her body began to convulse from the fatal wound. She looked into my eyes, though her gaze was distant. She said a name, though it wasn't mine, or my sisters..._

_I stared into her eyes and noticed something in their reflection. I turned slowly and glared at the little boy cowering in the corner, weeping pitifully. I turned back to the mother and drew the sword out slowly, while twisting it, making her cry out in agony. _

_The boy begged me to stop, but Hisana was not done yet. I raised the blade one last time and then swung it like a baseball bat. I hit her in the neck and the blade sliced clean through, severing her head and releasing a majestic arterial spray. _

_I dropped the killing tool and was about to leave, when I gave one last look at the little boy...the boy with spiky orange hair..._

_It was then that I remembered the name the mother had whispered in her final moments..._

_"Ichigo..."_

* * *

"!"

The twisted web of memories have revealed the shocking truth! What shall happen next? read the next chapter to find out!

Please review.


	7. Waking Nightmares

**Waking Nightmares**

My haunting memory freezes on the horrified face of Ichigo. It's a portrait that I can barely stand to look at, but closing my eyes does nothing to make it go away. It is stuck, like a broken video, frozen on the awful image, reminding me of my past deeds.

"!" I collapse to the floor, grasping the sides of my head as a pain worse than a migraine hits like a tsunami on a cliff face.

"Rukia, are you alright? What's wrong?" Ichigo asks frantically, but I can't answer him, my breathing is becoming so erratic that I don't have enough time to suck in any air with each breath. I clutch myself with quivering hands and rock back and forth in a vain attempt to calm my frayed nerves.

Ichigo tries to approach me but I cower and scream at him with a trembling voice. "NO! I DIDN'T KILL HER! IT WASN'T ME!"

Ichigo stares at me, I can barely see through my clouded eyes. The tears are flowing so fast that they build up over my eyes before rolling softly down my cheeks in thick torrents. My heart is overworking itself, beating so hard I can actually hear it. As my heart over beats, the rest of my body shuts down. My stomach clenches and my throat tightens, making it even harder to breathe. I want to just scream and scream, but my body just can't keep up with it.

Ichigo continues to try and reach me but I instinctively crawl away, afraid I might hurt him like I hurt his mother so long ago. He reaches out to me and I weep desperately, curling up into a ball. He steps closer and I scream again, a loud mournful cry that forces Ichigo to take a step back.

I cough miserably and another wave of ragged sobs takes hold of my body, tightening my airways and gushing tears like a tap on full blast. I stare at my hands which have gone paler than white. They are shaking so fervently that I accidentally slap myself and bang the floor.

A blanket drapes over my shoulders and sudden warmth spreads through my body. I know its Ichigo and it makes me cry out again. I drop onto my side and stare at nothing, my eyes focusing vacantly on blank space.

"What is wrong with you? Is this something to do with your...Illness?" The word is like a lance that impales my heart and shatters my soul. I shield my face with my hands and try to stifle the tears, but even my best efforts are fruitless.

Rukia pats my shoulder. If I were myself then I would be overjoyed, but any satisfaction is lost in my overwhelming sorrow. He helps me up into a sitting position and my arms shoot out and wrap around him as tightly as they can before locking in place, stiff and frozen. I gaze up at him and sniff before confessing my terrible actions in the past.

"These hands killed your mother...Though it was not my heart." I whisper hoarsely. My throat is aching from the torturous workout from before.

Ichigo stares at me, his face puzzled. He doesn't understand. No-one ever has...

"Ichigo...I'm so sorry...I never knew her actions would become so severe. I never tried to stop her...Never tried to end it...I'm so sorry..."

Ichigo strokes the back of my head and silences me with a soft whisper. "Don't beat yourself up. I understand. It was not your fault. No matter what happens, remember you are a good person and you are never alone. We will conquer our hardships together, okay?"

I nod feebly and begin to weep again. I have finally found someone who understands my inner torment and my endless suffering. Maybe I can conquer the challenge of life after all...With Ichigo by my side, I just might be able to live...Live like a normal person...

While we wait for Tatsuki to wake up we talk about our lives. I feel comfortable reliving my tortured childhood with Ichigo. For once, someone understands me fully. He never stares with wide eyes or challenges that I'm lying. He listens to every word and takes it in, strengthening our bond.

When I reach the worst years of my life I stop. I am still not ready to explain everything about Hisana's numerous rampages. Her violent, bloodbaths that could go on for days at a time. My teenage life was when she became a true beast. With the death of Ichigo's mother, something had snapped inside Hisana's fractured mind and gave birth to the foulest of demons.

I still stay awake at night thinking about the evil things she has done. Even with her dead and buried inside my subconscious I still can't bury the fear. Defeating her was easy, but repairing the damage is a challenge even Hercules wouldn't be able to conquer.

Ichigo runs me through his life. His heartache over the death of his beloved mother. The daily struggles within his mourning family. The plaguing nightmares of the killer. He tells me all about it and I acknowledge his sorrow, amazed at how much it relates to my own.

If the broken were meant to confide in each other, then I have succeeded. Our unending sorrow can finally cease now that we are no longer alone.

Our therapy session ends abruptly when Tatsuki staggers into the room grasping he head.

"Man, I'm not doing that again. I didn't think it would hurt that much..." She mutters to herself, though it's loud enough for us to hear.

I rise to my feet and stroll over to her, staring unblinkingly at her. She cocks her head at me and frowns.

"What's up Kuchiki?"

I don't answer her; I just keep coming closer until I'm only a foot away. She meets my gaze with an uncertain look on her face. She's worried.

"Uh...I'm sorry about that. I hope I didn't scare or anything...I just-"

I cut her off and hug her. It catches her by surprise and she is nearly knocked off her feet, but manages to stand firm. She looks around uncertainly for a moment before hugging me back.

"Thank you..." I whisper. At first I think it failed to reach her, but the smile I see when I look up is proof enough that she indeed heard me.

"The plan worked." She laughs.

I laugh too. It feels like the first time in so long that I've laughed. It feels good. I get a sudden high and life seems good for a while.

* * *

Several hours later, I wind up at Tatsuki's house. While we wait for Inoue to arrive Tatsuki brews some tea. We sit in the kitchen, listening to the howling kettle as it boils. As she pours the water into two cups she asks me a question.

"So...What do you think?" The way she asks is makes me suspicious but I can't catch on without a hint.

"Of what?"

"Ichigo! Geez, do you have amnesia as well?" We both giggle at her little joke and I give a brief pause as she hands me a cup and then sips at her own.

"He's nice." I whisper, my cheeks beginning to fluster.

Tatsuki grins. "I knew it! You love him don't you?"

"Well..." I avert my gaze and Tatsuki laughs hysterically.

"I'm glad. I was beginning to think I fell out of a tree for nothing."

"Huh? I thought the branch snapped...It _was_ an accident wasn't it?"

Tatsuki says nothing but her smirk tells all.

"You idiot! You could have been seriously hurt! Do you know how scared I was when I thought you'd broken your neck?" I cry.

"Settle down Rukia." Tatsuki pats my shoulder. "I might have chosen the dumbest way to get you two to meet, but at least it happened, huh? I mean you looked so cute when you were cuddling on the floor earlier."

"We were not cuddling!" I yell defensively, my cheeks so hot that you could roast a turkey on them.

"Don't deny it! You know it, I know it and I'm pretty sure he knows it by now." Tatsuki folded her arms and stared at me. "So, what is it you like about him? Is it his scowl?" She made a silly face in a childish imitation of Ichigo's perpetual scowl.

I laugh for a while before shaking my head.

"Is it his hair? His eyes? What is it?"

"I don't know..." I answer honestly. We leave it at that when someone knocks on the door.

"Oh, that must be Orihime. She's pretty late, but I guess it can't be helped."

We both go to the door, but before we reach it the knocking becomes more desperate. Tatsuki sighs and shakes her head.

"Calm down Orihime. Geez, it's not as if this is life or death."

The knocking ceases for a moment before another round of hyperactive banging ensues.

"Inoue, you're going to break the door down! Stop it!"

The banging only increases. The door jolts from the strain and a crack appears in the doorframe. There's something very wrong about this, but I've always been paranoid so I could be just over-reacting.

Tatsuki grips the door handle and turns it slowly. The knocking ceases and heavy breathing comes from the other side.

"No wonder she's out of breath. Anyone would get a workout from that. Bloody hell, she must have something important to say..." She opens the door a crack and a shadow creeps through. I place a hand on Tatsuki's shoulder and try to stop my body from shaking. She looks at me with a frown. "What's up with you now?"

"Tatsuki...Shut the door...Please?" I say it faintly, not wanting to alert whoever is outside.

"Why? Orihime's out there-"

"I don't think it's her out there!" I whisper harshly, pushing the door closed myself.

We stand there silently for a moment, both staring at the door, then to each other, and then back to the door. For a painfully long time there is nothing but then the fierce knocking comes from the back door...

Tatsuki's face drains of colour and she turns white as a sheet. Her gaze travels up the hall to the plain white door at the back of the house. It was then that I was sure something was very, very wrong...Though I have no idea why...But frankly, I don't want to know...I just want that knocking to stop...

_Please make it stop...Please..._

_Stop it...It's creeping me out. Why won't they stop? Why?_

_I can't take it anymore! Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!_

"STOP IT!"

The noise is gone. There is tense silence between us now. We say nothing and we don't dare move. We don't even breathe...

Because we can hear someone else's' heavy breathing...

Right behind us...

Suspense! Don't miss the next chapter!

While you wait, write a review.


	8. Agony

_**Agony**_

The crazed banging on the door stops. For moment it seems like the visitor has done as asked and has indeed gone away.

Tatsuki and I both stare at each other, our eyes wide, flesh pale, sweat dropping down our foreheads. For what feels like a few hours, we stand there, paralysed, silently waiting to see if our visitor has gone. We think it's over, but it was only the eye of the storm.

The heavy breathing is still lingering over us. The knocking has stopped because there is no longer a need to...

The 'uninvited guest' is right behind us. The harsh breaths hit me like the coldest of breezes. The hairs on the nape of my neck stand on edge and my whole body shudders. I make a strange choking sound and slowly turn my head.

Tatsuki glares at the visitor and then a shaky smile crosses her face. I think she's gone mad, especially when she begins to laugh hysterically, but when I turn to face the visitor I too feel stupid.

Orihime giggles sheepishly and apologises with a croak. She's doubled over, still trying to catch her breath.

"Orihime, what is wrong with you? We thought you were some psycho!" Tatsuki scolded with crossed arms.

"Sorry..." Inoue takes a deep breath. "I...I just saw something...Wanted to...Show you..." We wait impatiently while she gets her breath back and then we let her explain herself. "There was this lady outside...She looked...Just like you!" She points a finger at me and it's at that moment that the fear returns.

I take a step back and gasp. "Me?" I rasp placing a hand over my heart.

"Yeah! Like exactly the same. She could be one of your relatives; you know the ones you haven't seen for years." Inoue frowns when she catches on to my tenseness. "What's wrong?"

"No...No..." I whisper the word over and over as if it will help me in some way. Of course it doesn't work, nothing works for me.

"What's wrong?" She asks again.

Tatsuki taps her shoulder and whispers to her, but I can still hear them. "She's probably still freaked out from your stupid door knocking earlier. Anyway, how did you get in?"

"I used my spare key." Orihime explained simply.

"What? If you had the spare key then why were you trying to knock the door down?"

"I forgot I had it. When you didn't answer the back door I remembered I had the key in my bag." Inoue laughs while Tatsuki slaps herself in the forehead.

"Bloody hell, you almost broke the door!"

"I'm sorry Tatsuki."

I stop listening for a while and my mind races off, obsessing over my 'twin'. As my mind tries to process a hundred thoughts at once I begin to have a break down. I crouch down and begin whimpering like a frightened dog. My friends stop their bickering and focus on me. I ignore their questions and lung at Orihime, grabbing her sleeve and glaring at her.

"Where is she?" I scream. She takes a step back and doesn't respond so I repeat myself.

"Where is who?"

"That look-a-like woman I think." Tatsuki answers for me.

Orihime looks out the door at the front yard and shrugs. "I don't know, she was just waiting at the bus stop when I first saw her, but when I came back she was gone."

"No! I can't lose her! I need to find her!" They must think I'm so insane right now. To them it's just a woman who looks like me...But a little snippet of my recent memory has been popping up constantly now...

"_You can't hurt me! But I can still hurt you! I'll kill you and free myself!"_

Hisana's words finally hit home. That feeling of grave danger returns and once again I fear for my life. But could it really be possible for her to free herself from my psyche and take on the form of a human? It doesn't make any sense...So...It mustn't be real...Can it?

Tatsuki walks us both into the living room and sets us down on the couch. It's obvious from her expression and tensed shoulders that she's on the verge of a breakdown...Join the club I say.

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. When she's done with her little relaxation technique she smiles weakly and stares at us wordlessly.

For a while I just stare back at her, unsure of what to say. Inoue is similarly confused. Our awkward silence goes on for far too long and then Tatsuki ends it with a light giggle.

"Well, that was weird. Anybody want a drink?" There are no takers so Tatsuki shrugs it off and decides to switch topic again. "So...Rukia met Ichigo today."

Inoue whirls around to face me and screams, "Really?"

I nod feebly and she begins to clap and laugh. "Ha ha ha! Isn't he just so sweet?" I look around nervously and nod hesitantly. "Oh, and he's always so kind, even when he's got that scary face that goes like this!" She imitates Ichigo's perma-frown.

"Orihime has had her sights on Ichigo for years now. You've got competition Kuchiki!" Tatsuki pats my back and laughs. I join in as well as Orihime. We laugh for a while and then Tatsuki goes into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

Inoue passes the time detailing everything she loves about Ichigo. Some of them I agree with, though some are just plain silly, but they give me a long overdue laugh. It's nice...After the bumpy start things are relaxing. I've even forgotten about that freak coincidence about my supposed twin. Things are finally-

'Knock, knock, knock.'

There is a new door-knocker. Tatsuki calls out from the kitchen. "Hime, can you get that?"

"Okay!" Inoue replies before literally jumping off of the couch and rushing to the door. Seconds later she's back again, a perplexed look on her face. By now Tatsuki is back and she glances past Orihime with a frown.

"Who was it?"

"No-one." Orihime murmurs. "The door was still open when I got there, but there was no-one around...Maybe they had the wrong address?"

"Maybe. That or it's some stupid knock and runners. They've been doing it a lot recently." Tatsuki shrugs and downs the glass of water in one long gulp. She then wipes her mouth and sighs. "So, what do you wanna do now?"

Orihime bounces on the couch and raises her hand as if she were in school. "Ooh, ooh, how about we-"

'Knock, knock, knock.'

The stupid banging is back again, though it sounds closer than it was the first time. In fact it almost sounds like it's coming from inside the house...

"Damn kids!" Tatsuki growls. She rises to her feet and is about to charge outside and give a lecture they'll never forget when a soft sound echoes from upstairs. "The hell was that?" the noise repeats itself and we all listen intently. At first it sounds like nothing in particular, but after the third time it finally becomes recognizable and when it does, my blood freezes in my veins.

It's laughter...A young girl's laughter...

We all listen to the chilling laughter. It's very faint but we can definitely hear it. The worst thing is that the sound is coming from upstairs...That means whoever is laughing is in the house!

When that fact sinks in we all get on our feet and carefully make our way to the front door. Tatsuki pushes it closed; making sure it is done softly and makes no noise. We then approach the stairs. The laughter has stopped but running footsteps can be heard in the kitchen.

We all gasp and then catch ourselves before making too much noise.

Tatsuki gazes at us with a stern expression. "Alright...Let's split up. I'll take the top floor, Inoue take the kitchen, living room and Rukia, you search the garage. If you find the little intruder catch the son of a bitch and call us out. Ready?"

We all nod.

"Alright then...Let's go, but everyone...Be careful!"

As we go our separate ways I feel my bones quake. Now I'm all alone with an intruder in the house. I approach the door to the garage and grasp the handle. It's so cold I withdraw my hand and have to take a few deep breaths and muster up the courage to open it. I push it open a tiny crack and peer inside. It's too dark to see anything so I'm out of luck.

I step into the handyman's paradise. There are power tools lines up in rows against one wall. The sight of them sends chills down my spine and brings back memories that took years of therapy to forget. I turn away and notice a table with simpler tools. It still creeps me out but a different thought passes through my head.

_I need to protect myself..._

I stroll over to the table and study the tools. I grapple with the choice between a hammer and a crowbar. I choose the lighter hammer and clench it in my white-knuckled hands.

The only light in the whole room is from a single bulb that dangles from the ceiling via a long wire that makes it swing back and forth rhythmically. As it swings new areas become visible and some become lost to the darkness. The movement of the light repetitively creates fast moving shadows which freak me out constantly. I spin around numerous times thinking there is someone behind me only to find it's the shadow of a power drill.

I curse my paranoia and begin looking under tables, searching for any sign of life. The thick layers of dust are reassuring, though it makes me cough. I try to stifle the sound so it comes out more like a toddlers sneeze as opposed to a deep cough.

As I wade through the dust I feel less and less concerned, though that all changes when I notice a red light at the far end of the room. It begins flashing and then goes green. Next, the agonisingly loud sound of metal grating against metal resounds throughout the room. The sound bounces off of the walls making it sound louder and it gives me the jolt of a lifetime.

I jump back and almost break my spine on the corner of a table. I flop to the floor and cry out in alarm. Firstly, the light blinks out, then machine stops after a few seconds and then the sound of running footsteps comes from the entrance to the garage.

My body has a fearful convulsion and I stagger awkwardly over to a gap between two cupboards. I clutch the hammer to my heart and hold my breath.

The intruder's silhouette is only just visible, but I can see her rummaging through the tools. She picks up a hand saw and crosses the room slowly. Every single step makes a sound like thunder and I flinch with each one. Her steps are so slow it takes her forever to go only a few metres.

I bite my lip to stifle the scream that is just waiting to be released. I stare silently at the intruder. She walks on her tip toes towards me and I sink back into the darkness, trying to hide as best as I can.

As I slink between the cupboards I accidentally bump into one of them, creating a loud noise that makes the intruder spin on her heels and face me. She can't see me but she is dangerously close to spotting me. I can't let her find me...I have to...I have to...

The intruder chokes on the thick dust and then turns slightly, directly at me. "Rukia..." She rasps. "I finally found you!"

"NOOOOOOO!" I scream. I lift my arms up to the sky and then bring the hammer down onto the intruder's head. The intruder drops to the floor with a deafening thud and reaches out to me with one hand. I cry out and stomp on the hand before kneeling down and smashing the hammer into her head again. I then do it again and again and again while screaming frantically. The sickening 'squelch' of mashed brains and the cracking of her skull makes me wince. The splatter of gore that I feel covering me is just as bad.

After a while it all becomes too much and I hurl the hammer at the wall and sink to the floor. I curl up in a ball and weep while Tatsuki's panicked shouts echo from upstairs. I can hear her leaping down the stairs and the garage door is kicked open as she storms in with a baseball bat clutched in her hands. She switches on the light and everything turns red.

The floor, the walls, my body...All are stained in the crimson paint of death, though that is nothing compared to the next shock. My eyes wander down to the unfortunate intruder whom I slaughtered. At first I stare at the body. Whoever it was, they were indeed young and with an athletic body. As I look up I notice gibbets of flesh and mangled pieces of brain matter and shattered fragments of her skull. I smashed the back of her head open as if it were a melon, though the face is still intact. I lean to one side to get a look at the deceased's identity and it's then that thing's go from horrible to nightmarish.

The face is all too familiar...The wide brown eyes stare blankly, even with no sign of life, the look of betrayal remains, a sight that instantly makes my stomach clench and make my heart stop beating. Her long chestnut hair, matted with thick chunks of flesh and drenched in blood...All the pieces come together and only then do I realise the horrifying mistake I have made...

The truth is so awful I can barely comprehend it, or even manage to scream. Tatsuki manages for me and unleashes the most heart-wrenching scream I ever had the misfortune to hear.

"Oh god...What have I done?" I stare at my blood-soaked hands and then to the victim, then back to my hands. "This is...This is impossible...I never would...Never would have...No...No..." Words fail me. I can't even string together one grievous sentence to describe my sorrow. "Please no...It can't be...Why? Why?"

My whole body shakes spasmodically and I lurch forward and let loose the anguish that has been welling up within me this whole time.

"!"

What happened? Who is the dead girl lying on the floor? Who was the intruder? Find out in the next chilling installment!

Please review. There may not be many of you reading this, but any scarce comments are incredibly helpful. Please tell me what you think because it can only benefit us both.


	9. Family Reunion

**Family Reunion**

The morbid warmth of my friend's blood does little to stop the trembling. I am shaking from something far worse than the cold, this is shiver of despair...The awful sensation that overcomes one when they have done something so abominable that a guilt unlike any other takes hold and the body cannot function properly. The heart stops beating, the lungs shrivel, the knuckles pale, the blood freezes in your veins and then it hits like a ton of bricks...That you have done something unforgivable.

This is one of those moments. My lungs take in a huge rush of air and I give a scream that is so loud it echoes in the darkened confines of the garage. My tortured cry rebounds and the sound repeats itself, a melancholic howl that assaults my very own ears as it repeats like a broken record.

Tatsuki somehow stifles any noises and merely stares at Orihime's corpse with wide eyes. She doesn't move, doesn't breathe...She doesn't even look away, her eyes fixated on her lifelong best friend...the innocent girl that I brutally murdered.

My hatred for Hisana intensifies. I can still sense her inside the house. I know she's in here. She set this up. She want's to frame me and take over my life. She's a cunning beast, but I cannot let her get the better of me. I have to stop her once and for all for my sake and everyone else's!

I try to stand up by my knees are weak. I sit in the same spot and whimper miserably.

Tatsuki glances over her shoulder at a figure standing in the doorway. I can't believe my eyes when I see her. It's impossible...It's her!

Hisana makes a shocked face and takes a step back. "Orihime! Oh my god what happened?"

I glare at her and she stares right at me. We lock gazes and she flashes me the briefest of smiles before she screams. "Hisana! It's Hisana!"

I'm too stunned to defend myself and before I can understand what's happening Tatsuki lunges at me with a hateful gleam in her eyes.

"YOU BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!" She tackles me to the floor and her fingers wrap around my throat, tightening and digging in her nails.

I gargle and rasp while trying in vain to knock her off, but Tatsuki is a martial arts champion. I have little chance. I try to clear my name, but my throat is constricted so tight nothing can get in or out. I gasp and my eyes begin to roll. I catch sight of Hisana who has a beaming smile.

I glare at her, wanting desperately to hurl every insult I've ever learned, but my life is in danger right now and I have to stop Tatsuki before anything else. It pains me to even think about it...But I have to fight my best friend.

Tatsuki roars something indecipherable and begins lifting my head up and then slamming it down into the floor. My head rocks back and forth as she repeats the manoeuvre, choking the life out of me and smashing my skull at the same time. I dazedly lash out with my left hand, catching Tatsuki in the jaw. She leans to one side and her grip relaxes. I take in a deep breath and then shove her aside.

She recovers too quickly and is back for more in a second. She tries to get over me again to do another choke hold but I kick out with my legs and use as much force as possible to push her away. She falls back into a table and the tools clatter onto the floor with her.

I drag myself to the opposite side of the room and pull myself onto my feet with the aid of the table. I lean against it and get my bearings but by then Tatsuki is back again. She goes into a martial arts stance and begins to lift her left leg which is folded inwards. I prepare to block but then she changes legs with blinding speed and her right leg snaps out, as fast as lightning and connects with the side of my head. I spin around in a circle and run into a cupboard. Before I can get over the dizziness a fist slams into my stomach, then another into my chin. I slumps against the cupboard as Tatsuki spear tackles me, crushing me into the old wooden doors of the cupboard and making the whole thing break.

"I'll kill you Hisana! I'll make you suffer for what you did to Orihime and for the nightmare you've put Rukia through!"

I try to correct her and tell her the truth that I'm the one she wants to protect, but I can't speak. I make a croaking noise and she kicks me full in the face. Blood streams out of my nose and it runs down to my lips. It tastes foul and I spit a mouthful of it onto the floor.

The real Hisana looks on with a sinister smile. If I was able to, I'd grab the nearest saw and hack her into pieces, but then I'd just be acting like her. I'll destroy her without stooping to her level...If I can.

Tatsuki stomps on my ribs and I cough violently before curling up in a ball and sobbing. She takes a break from me and looks to the pretender. "How is Hisana even alive? I thought she was just one of your personalities?"

At that moment something kicks in. I never ever told her about Hisana...How does she know about her? I gaze up at her and croak painfully. "How...Do you know...About Hisana?"

She glares at me. "Rukia told me only a few minutes ago."

"What?" I scream, shocked.

"That's right! Your evil secret is out! You're the one who killed everyone at Michiru's birthday party! You're the one who committed all the murders recently! You even abducted Rukia!" Tatsuki scowls at me and I feel tears coming.

"Tatsuki...I'm Rukia..."

"Lies!" Hisana cries. "She's trying to save herself but I know she's Hisana! She's a monster! If you leave her alive she'll only kill again!"

Tatsuki glances from to my evil twin and back again. I may not have convinced her but I've made her hesitate which is something at the very least.

"Please...I beg you. You have to believe me...I'm Rukia..." I clasp my hands together and get on my aching knees.

"But..." She whispers softly, her mind almost swayed. She suddenly shakes her head and growls. "No! No! You're covered in Inoue's blood! You killed her! Rukia would never-"

"TATSUKI!" I scream with everything I have. It hurts my throat and I feel winded afterwards but it works. "Listen to me! Look in my eyes! We're best friends aren't we? Can't you tell I'm Rukia?"

She heeds my advice and gazes into my eyes for some time. She frowns and turns back to face Hisana who steps back and gasps.

"Surely you're not going to believe her?"

Tatsuki grabs the sides of her head and doubles over. "I don't know! I don't know anything any more!"

"Please-" I begin.

"SHUT UP!" Tatsuki roars. "Just shut up and let me think!"

I do as she asks but Hisana begins to whine. Trying desperately to hurriedly convince her I'm the bad one. Tatsuki whimpers and stares into Hisana's eyes. If I'm right, then my friend will make the right choice and I'll be safe.

The tension could be cut with a knife. We all remain completely silent, the only noise the slow dripping as Orihime's shattered head bleeds onto the hard floor.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. It's been hard to breathe ever since I was throttled by the enraged and confused Tatsuki.

The girl in question turns back to me and stares. I force a weak smile and then it's decided. Tatsuki's eyes narrow and her shoulders slump. She reaches out towards me and begins to sob. "Rukia..."

Hisana glowers at us and reaches over the table beside her, picking up a wrench. She tightens her thin fingers around it and for once I see the murderous gleam in her eyes. I feel sick, realising that that horrifying vision is what had overcome me so many times in the past. It's awful seeing my very own face warp into something so twisted and monstrous.

"Hisana, no!" I reach out a hand and Tatsuki turns slowly just as she is struck down with a thunderous hit from the heavy tool.

Hisana cackles madly and stalks her prey while I watch on helplessly. "How does it feel Sis? How does it feel to watch?"

"Leave her alone! You're grudge is with me!" I struggle to lift myself onto one knee.

"Grudge? Who said this was about a grudge? This is fun!" Her smile makes me retch but I manage to keep whatever it is down. I shakily rise back to my feet, wobbling unsteadily. She studies me and smiles. "You think you can stop me? You little friend here did a good job of beating you senseless. If you hadn't ruined it so fast she could have fatally wounded you."

"Shut up! I'm sick of you! I thought you were gone!"

Hisana giggles. "Gone? I can't just disappear sis."

"Stop calling me that!" I cry.

"Oh, come now. You're getting too emotional. Calm down and we'll talk it over." Hisana cracks up laughing and swings the wrench down on Tatsuki, making her body jolt. "Ha! I can't do it with a straight face, I really can't. Oh well. Who should be first?" She asks herself, twirling the wrench as if it were a baton in a parade. She looks down at the bloody mess that was Orihime and grins. "Kudos on smashing the dumb bitch. I'm impressed, I really am. I think you picked up a trick or two from living with me-"

I cut her off by hurling a mallet at her. I glare at her, my fury boiling over. "How dare you!" I growl slowly, through heavy pants. "Don't ever compare me to scum like you!"

"Shame words can't hurt me...You might have stood a chance." Hisana murmurs disinterestedly. "I think I've decided now. I'll kill..."

I listen intently, waiting for her answer, ready to attack.

"Neither of you." She states simply.

"What?'

"I'll leave you two for now. Anyway..." She turns to leave but glances at me over one shoulder. "I have more targets in this town than just you." She adds with a sickening smile. Then she strolls out, dropping the wrench and departing with the echoing sound of her mocking laughter.

Her words make me feel tense, though I'm not sure why. Something about what she said...What did she mean about having more targets? Unless...

"NO!" I run from the room, leaving Tatsuki. For now she's safe. Right now I have to save someone else...

"ICHIGO!"

Can Rukia save the one she loves? Will she be able to end Hisana's new reign of terror? Find out in the next chapter!

Now anyone reading this, please review. To read this far you must have something to say. Love it or hate it, I won't know unless you tell me. 


	10. Fear

_**Fear**_

My mind works slowly. My delayed thinking gives Hisana a good head start but soon I catch on.

"ICHIGO!" I cry leaping to my wobbly feet. I run in a zigzag pattern, my injuries causing me to sway constantly. I must look like a drunk as I sprint out of the room, leaving my traumatised friend behind.

It feels wrong to just leave her there, but Hisana has lost interest in her so she will be safe...I hope. Right now I have to get to Ichigo before Hisana.

I stop dead in the doorway. There are footprints in the muddy lawn out in the front yard. Hisana has failed to cover her tracks, but is it on purpose or was she in a rush? It doesn't matter! There isn't time to think about it! I have to save Ichigo!

My feet make disgusting squelching noises as I storm through the murky puddles that lurk in the unmowed grass. The noises remind me of how I killed Orihime and I have to stop as it gives me terrible stomach pains. I'm almost certain I'm going to throw up but somehow I hold it back. Maybe life with Hisana has begun to desensitize me to death...Slightly.

I don't want to dwell on such a horrible thought so I leap over the small fence as if it's a hurdle in a running race. That landing hurts my ankles and my legs burn but I can't stop again! I've wasted too much time!

The door is left wide open and I dive through it, landing in a crouch and immediately setting off on a mad run through the front room into the clinic. The room is empty but it looks as if one of the tables has been knocked over. There is a smashed jar of some kind of fluid. A tray of medical utensils has been emptied and splayed out all over the floor.

_Hisana! I won't let you hurt him!_

I spin on my heels and take a heavy step, but waves of pain shoot up through my foot and force me down on one knee. I sob pitifully and turn my foot over to see the shard of glass embedded in it. I grit my teeth while pulling it out. It brings the worst stinging pain I've ever felt, but the over surge of adrenaline makes it have less of an effect.

I push on, limping up the stairs. My legs are becoming numb and it's increasingly harder to get up a step each time. I have to crawl up the final four steps and when I'm finally on the landing I hop over to the first bedroom. I wrench the door open and discover pink walls and frilly pillows. It's the wrong bedroom...

I lurch over to the next door, dragging my wounded foot behind me like a zombie. I press my hands on the handle and take a deep breath. I close my eyes and barge the door while turning the handle, forcing it open and falling through into the next room.

There is a haunting silence in the room and I fear it's another wrong room, but sure enough I hear Ichigo's voice. "Rukia? What are you doing here? Why are you covered in blood?"

Then it dawns on me. Hisana wasn't after Ichigo. She was going after someone else!

I feel like explaining everything but my throat creaks like an old door and I weep at his feet. Ichigo helps me up and sits me down on the bed while he reassures me that things are going to be okay. I sniff and wipe at my puffy red eyes. They feel like wasps have stung them, though it's not the worst pain I feel. Before I can say a word I cough. A large red splatter on Ichigo's bed tells me I'm not well. M head spins and I succumb to dizziness, falling to one side only to be caught by Ichigo.

"Rukia! Rukia! What happened?"

I wipe the streaks of crimson from my lips and croak, "Hisana...Is alive."

Ichigo stares at me with a look of uncertainty. He doesn't understand. "Hisana...My...Sister..." Suddenly he remembers my conversation with him and he studies my injuries.

"I don't-"

"She is alive!" I cry, using too much energy.

"Alive? But she's a persona! How can she possibly-"

"I don't know...But...It happened..." I close my eyes for several seconds but before Ichigo fears the worst I reopen them to assure him I'm not fading away. "Help..." I whisper.

"Um...Okay?" Ichigo looks around nervously. He's more confused than I am right now, which must be terrible. "Can...You take me...Tatsuki..." I fail at forming a sentence and Ichigo doesn't comprehend me. I try again but still words go missing and things don't work out. I resort to pointing in the direction of Tatsuki's house and he gazes out the window, then back at me.

"Tatsuki's house? Is that what you want?"

I nod feebly and he places an arm behind my shoulder and another behind my back. With a slight grunt he picks me up, cradling me like the hero in an action movie, only this is reality and there is the possibility of an unhappy ending.

Ichigo carries me down the stairs, starting out with slow careful steps and eventually jogging. We reach Tatsuki's house and I give him directions down to the garage. He follows my directions and we end up at the entrance to the fated garage.

I reach out and turn on the lights and Ichigo cries out in alarm.

"Inoue! She's-"

"Dead." I answer for him. "I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry? For what?"

"I...I killed her." Ichigo's expression makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach. He stares at the carnage and then the alleged killer in disbelief. "I thought...It was Hisana..." I explain, though it still seems like a pathetic excuse even if it was really happened. "Please...Don't hate me."

Ichigo is taken aback by my words and his expression softens. "Rukia...I couldn't hate you...I understand. It wasn't your fault." Ichigo's words soothe my stricken mind and put me at ease.

It takes some time until I realise someone is missing. "Tatsuki?"

"She might be in her room." Ichigo suggests and we begin our short journey to find her. He takes me up the stairs and we enter her bedroom. The room is empty.

Ichigo sets me down on the bed and sits down beside me. He stares at his hands and frowns.

"This is insane...Hisana...Manifested herself somehow? It can't be real!"

"I can't understand it either, but...We can guess all we want...Once she's...Dead." I wheeze. My lungs still feel like crap since Tatsuki's beating. For once the prospect of having a black belt friend seems less like a pro and more like a con.

"Where do you think she is?"

"Who?"

"Hisana. She couldn't have gone far in such a short amount of time..."

'Ring, ring...Ring, ring'

A cheap little mobile phone dances on the table while its simple ring tone goes off. Ichigo studies it curiously and then answers the phone. "Hello?" His face darkens and he hands me the phone, his face blank.

I grasp it cautiously and place the phone by my head. "Hello?"

#Hi sis!#

"Hisana! Where are you?"

#Somewhere safe. By the way, why didn't you introduce me to your police friend? She's very kind.#

"Police...friend?"

#Yeah! Matsumoto something. She's a very gentle lady, she's making me tea right now.#

"Matsumoto..." The name sticks and I drop the phone. "No...No it can't be!"

Hisana's voice echoes lightly out of the speaker so I can still hear it even as it rolls on the floor. #Hello? Sis, are you still there? Hello?#

"Where..." I whisper before snatching up the phone and screaming it into the tiny speakers. "WHERE ARE YOU DAMMIT!"

Hisana giggles sickeningly and tuts. #I don't think I should tell you. That would be a bit silly wouldn't it?#

"HISANA!"

#Alright, alright. Calm down. I'm in her house right now. The people at the station where very nice, they told me her address. Bye bye!#

Then she hung up. I curse and throw the phone out the open window. I make it to my feet and then trip over. Ichigo helps me up and we descend the stairs together.

"Where to?" Ichigo asks.

"The police station. We can find Matsumoto's address if we ask them." I explain.

"So...That was Hisana. I knew it was her, I could sense it." Ichigo looks away from me and we stop for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"I could sense it was her...that same horrible presence I felt back then...The day when she killed my mother! I promise you Rukia, I'll make sure Hisana does not return. If you want me to, then I'll put an end to her..." Ichigo looks to me for approval but I glare at him.

"No. I've been waiting all my life for this. I'm going to kill her...After all, it's personal!"

Ichigo nods and assists me down the rest of the stairs. It's a hassle and my feet still hurt terribly. I ask Ichigo to carry me and he does so again, gently picking me up and taking me down the rest of the stairs to the bottom floor.

"I'll ring for a taxi. I think the phone's in the living room." Ichigo mutters taking me around a corner and down a short hall into the Arisawa residences dining room.

It is a spacious room with soft leather couches, a reasonably sized TV and a dining table on the far wall. It seems normal, except there's something that feels off about it. I get a shiver up my spine yet I don't know why...Until Ichigo drops me to the floor and screams.

I cry out and land awkwardly, rolling out into the main room. As I sit up my head bumps into something. It feels strange and I recoil from it. I crawl away and then look up...

...Into the cold dead eyes of Tatsuki...Hanging from the ceiling fan.

"T...T...Ta...Tatsuki...?" I whimper.

Ichigo collapses to his knees and begins to sob.

As for me, I can't stop staring into the lifeless eyes of my friend. I repeat her name softly and fall back, my body getting weaker. When it all get's too much to bear I do what any person would do...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A cruel twist of fate. Will Rukia's misery ever end? Will Hisana be defeated? All will be revealed in the next chapter!

Now write a review. Come one, it's not that hard. to have come this far you should be able to write a comment. Do it!


	11. Hunting The Demon

**Hunting The Demon**

Why? Why did it have to happen? We could have lived on...We could have seen this through to the end...We could have stuck together and protected each other...So Why? Why did she have to do it?

Tatsuki's body sways lightly, hanging from the ceiling fan, a length of rope around her neck.

Ichigo approaches her and unties the knot, placing her down on the floor. There are nasty black bruises on her neck, the obvious cause of death...But it never had to happen like this...

Her eyes are still wide open, the blood shots faded now that there is no longer any flow. Her skin is pale, as white as a sheet. Her expression is unusually calm, but at least she looks peaceful...

"Rukia...I'm so sorry..." Ichigo whispers. He tries to go on, but words fail him. This is something no teenager should ever come across.

"Why?" I choke on the word.

Ichigo hesitates, the answer lingering on his tongue, but doubt sinking in. "It must have been too much for her..."

"It's my fault...I dragged her into this..." I close my eyes and weep, but a firm hand grips my shoulder and forces me to look up. I gaze into Ichigo's eyes and realise what his expression means. It was the same one he wore back when I told him about Hisana and his mother's death. It was identical, the same stern face that my brother always used to have.

His gaze bore into me and I found myself paralysed, unable to look away from his eyes. "Rukia. It-Was-Not-Your-Fault. Hisana did all this!"

I still feel doubtful. It can't be that easy, just to blame everything on Hisana...But Ichigo makes me feel different. Something about him, his words, his expression, it makes me feel innocent. The torturous plague of nightmares of me killing, the endless self accusations, they mean nothing when I'm around him. He makes me believe I'm innocent, no matter how much blood stains my hands.

His presence gives me the strength I need to stray from what Tatsuki did...

"Are you alright?" He asks softly.

I nod slowly and give a stern look right back at him. My rigid smile falters and I try again, only I can't do it. Instead, I glare at him and frown. "I'm ready." I say, my voice tinged with a deeper edge. "I'm ready...To kill Hisana!"

Hisana is the reason for everything wrong in my life. Only her death can make me feel at ease, only her death can avenge the fallen. Only her death will once again bring happiness to my darkened world. For everyone's sake and my own, I must hunt her down and finish her off.

We leave Tatsuki's body on the couch, making it appear as if she is sleeping, then Ichigo rings a taxi. For now we have to abandon her. To ensure no-one else dies like her, we have to hurry. When everything is over we will return and send an ambulance, answer questions from the police, organise a funeral, but until then...

I sit on the couch cradling Tatsuki's corpse. I run a hand through her hair, reminiscing of all the good times we had...The only memories that don't keep me awake at night. I shed another tear, realising that never again can we have the fun we had. I shut her eyelids and sigh. Her skin is so cold, it sends chills down my spine, but I don't want to leave her yet.

A minute later Ichigo returns from the phone. He offers a hand and helps me up, and then we stagger out into the front yard where the taxi arrives shortly after.

We ride in silence. The guard asks us questions about my bloody clothes but my white knuckles and wide terrified eyes make him turn away. He switches on the radio to try and soften the sombre mood, but it does little to help.

When we finally arrive at the police station we tell the driver to wait for a minute while we duck inside. He agrees reluctantly and watches us limp up the stairs and through the front entrance.

The secretaries scream at the sight of me and officers rush out to check up on me, but I swat them away and yell desperately, "Where is Matsumoto?"

The officers eye me curiously.

I repeat myself. "Where is she? Where does she live?"

"Ms Kuchiki...We already told you where she lives..." One of the officers replies.

"Yes, only a few minutes ago remember? Why are you covered in blood?"

I need to end their confusion quickly, but I have no idea how.

"Car accident." Ichigo answers. "She forgot the address, but she needs it, urgently."

"Where was the accident?" One of the officers asks. Ichigo tells more lies while another officer gives me a small card with an address written on it in scribbled black pen.

"Are you sure you're okay, you should get to a hospital."

"I'm fine!" I yell impatiently and hurry out the door. Ichigo follows close behind, finishing off his questionnaire from the guards. He catches up to me and shoves me into the back of the taxi.

The driver eyes us suspiciously and I hand him the address. "Hurry." I yell. The driver nods and starts up the engine.

The drive is relatively short and when we arrive we thank the driver and hurl a bunch of bank notes at him, not caring whether it is not enough or too much. We jump out of the car and run to the two storey home. The lights are on, but there is nothing suspicious about it yet.

We rush to the front door and I bash my fists against it, crying out desperately.

"Oh, someone's in a hurry. Won't be a moment Rukia; just have to answer the door." It's Matsumoto; her bubbly voice is audible through the thin screen door. Running footsteps come next, then a loud thud.

"Matsumoto!" I cry.

Laughter comes in from the other side of the door followed by a horrible ripping sound. The laughter continues as something is shoved through the mail slot in the door. My eyes widen at the sight of the amputated human finger that wriggles and waves at us.

"HISANA! STOP IT!" I roar, shoulder charging the door and bashing my body against it with all my strength.

Hisana's laughter becomes quieter and soon it is inaudible. She must have left the front door.

"DAMN YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" I scream.

Ichigo taps me on the shoulder and run up to the front window which he smashes with one powerful kick. He breaks off the jagged shards from the window sill and then crawls through. I follow hastily, cutting my feet on the glass inside.

I limp out of the glass ocean and observe the small trail of blood on the floor. We follow it and wind up having to take the stairs. We end up outside a closed wooden door. I try the handle but to no avail so Ichigo kicks it in off of its hinges.

The room is dark but I find the light switch and drown the area in weak light.

It is a bland bedroom. Matsumoto is left sprawled out on the floor, the index finger of her left hand missing. The stump still pumps out blood and Ichigo fashions a bandage out of part of the bed sheet. He leaves her there and then looks up at me.

"Hisana must have run off..."

"No." I snarl. "She wouldn't have run! She's still in this house somewhere. If she wanted to run she would have gone as soon as we turned up, if not before. She kept her alive to lure us here, now she wants to finish us all off in the one place, to wipe out the last of the people involved."

Ichigo frowns but rises anyway. "Alright. I'll carry Matsumoto and you can keep watch. If you see anything make sure to tell me and we'll take her down together."

"No. It's my sister, it's my fight. I'll go alone. Go down to the living room and keep her there, I'll take meet up with you when I'm finished."

Ichigo hesitates but eventually nods. "Fine. Just be careful, I couldn't live with myself if you died."

His words make me stronger and I hug him, possibly for the last time before I descend the stairs. Ichigo follows, but I lose track of him quickly, my mind focused on nothing else but Hisana. I've been around for all of her hunts, I know how she acts, and I know how she behaves. I should be able to find her.

_Hisana...Where are you? You wanted us to go upstairs, so that must mean you are either hiding down here, or...Oh no!_

I whirl around, hoping to find Ichigo standing close behind me, but he's nowhere in sight. I run back up the stairs and turn the corner, only to be hit in the face with something hard and blunt. I fall back and bash my head on the floor.

"Gotcha!" My evil sister chirps. "Gotcha sis! Now I have you all!"

I gurgle as blood gushes from my nose down into my mouth. I spit it out and glare at her. She's dragging me by one leg. It doesn't take long for my world to go all black.

* * *

My eyes blink open and slowly adjust to the weak light coming from a dangling bulb hanging from the ceiling. I look to one side and find Ichigo and Matsumoto propped up against boxes nearby. I look around and spot Hisana sitting on a cheap, dusty chair.

Hisana looks at me and sighs, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from her forehead. "Lifting you up here was quite a workout! You must be heavier than you look."

I glare at her in silence, my resentment for her boiling over.

"Wanna hear the plan?"

"Plan?" I repeat uncertainly.

"Basically, I kill you all, dress it up a bit and then call the cops. They burst in and find all three of you up here, all dead. But they see it as a suicide pact and that's case closed. Genius isn't it?"

"You bitch!" I snarl.

"Oh, don't be like that. I can kill you first if you want, then you don't have to watch the others die." She says it with a twisted smile that gives me a surge of energy. My body is urging me to get up and take her down. Hisana looks down at the floor and groans. "I'm hungry. Couldn't you have arrived after Matsumoto had made dinner?"

"Enough games!" I rasp, sitting up.

"Geez, it's never fun when you're around. But not anymore. I'm gonna end it all!"

"Never! The only thing that ends here is your life!" I stagger back to my feet and Hisana grins widely.

"Well this is going to be interesting." She rubs her hands together excitedly.

"Shut up!" I snap, bunching my fists. I take a deep breath and then charge. Hisana giggles like a little girl and smirks.

"Now the fun begins..."

The final confrontation! Sister Vs Sister, Rukia Vs Hisana, A grim battle to the death! Who will win?

Please review. All comments are a huge help.


	12. Angels & Demons

**Angels & Demons**

I can't stop myself. My body moves of its own accord, charging blindly towards my most despised of enemies. My fists clench together so tight it feels like my bones are going to break. My hairs stand on end, adrenaline surging through me uncontrollably.

Hisana waits, watching with a sly smile.

As I get closer she slowly starts moving, though it's only a few lazy steps towards me. I'm within a metre of her now. I have a chance to knock her down! I just have to-

It all happened so fast. One minute I was standing, the next I'm on the ground, coloured splotches invading my field of vision. I feel dizzy. What just happened?

"Ha ha ha! You're so slow sis! You're gonna have to do better than that! Come on, try again!"

I'm slow to rise and Hisana impatiently approaches me and pulls me to my feet by tugging at my hair. I cry out as a small clump tears free. The pain makes me snap and I drive my elbow into her stomach. I catch her unaware and she staggers back, gasping for air, clearly winded. I swiftly bring my leg up and kick her in the face. She stumbles backwards some more and I rush forward, spear tackling her into a large cardboard box.

We crash to the floor and I wrap my hands around her throat, choking the life out of her. Nonetheless, her sinister smile remains. Why is she still so confident? I'm beating her senseless yet she still smiles as if she's in control! Why dammit why?

She opens her mouth and tries to speak, but a gurgling rasp is all that passes her lips. She coughs and lashes out with a clawed hand. She rakes her nails down my cheek, scratching deep and drawing blood. I fall back and scramble away from her, giving her time to sit up and massage her wounded throat.

"That was...Pretty good." Hisana croaks. "You're learning." She adds with a wicked smile.

I bow my head and close my eyes, trying to calm myself. If I lose myself to my emotions now then there is no hope. I can't let her taunts get to me.

Alas, it's too late. My short meditation left me open for Hisana to run up and kick me in the jaw. As I drop she stomps on my chest and then lifts me up, only to hurl me into a stack of large boxes. They collapse over me and I get trapped amongst the various items that spill forth like decorative innards.

I remain silent and crawl up inside one of the toppled boxes, hiding for now.

"Oh, looky here!" Hisana exclaims. "This could be good..." I can her footsteps as she passes me and heads behind me and the pile of boxes. I hazard a glance out from a small gap between two of the cardboard walls and spot her standing near the end of the room. There is an axe on the wall, held in place by two small latches.

Hisana breaks the latches and lifts the hatchet above her head and then swings it down at nothing. She giggles morbidly and approaches the boxes. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" She sings mockingly.

I sink back into the box but keep my eye on my sister who swings the axe into one of the boxes. Christmas decorations spew forth from the giant tear. Hisana curses and approaches the next box. She does the same, hacking at it with the large axe.

She moves on to the next box, one right in front of me. I lift some old clothes and varied decorations in front of me, a good enough way to hide in the semi-darkness.

"Oh no...Where are you? There are only two more boxes...I wonder where you might be? She steps right in front of me. The axe rises and my whole body tenses. "I wonder...Is she in here?" I spot the axe coming down and shuffle over as it carves through the thin cardboard and skims right past my head. The blade just catches my sleeve and tears it open, a grim example of what could have happened to me if I had not moved.

The axe is wrenched out and Hisana prepares for another strike. I have to act now otherwise it will be my head that rolls here today. Hisana's midsection is left open as she hefts the large weapon above her head.

_NOW!_

I lunge at her, driving my shoulder into her ribs and tackling her again. She grabs me as we fall and drives me into the floor. The axe is accidentally thrown out of reach. We both crawl towards it, swiping wildly at the other on the way. We reach it at the same time and both take hold of the handle, trying to wrench it out of the other's grasp.

We grapple for possession of the weapon, trying to pry it away, then resorting to trying to beat each other senseless until they let go. Hisana thrusts her elbow into my nose and I let go with one hand, using it to stem the rampant blood flow. Hisana takes the opportunity to take it from my grasp and then jabs the handle just under my sternum, winding me.

I trip and fall on my back, trapped like a helpless turtle. Hisana towers over me, her eyes flickering in the light. I lash out at her, trying to kick her, but she steps back, out of harms way.

"Any last words?" She asks.

"Just two." I murmur. Hisana relaxes slightly, curious in my accepting of defeat. I smirk at her and reach to my side, snatching a Christmas tree bauble. "Fuck you!" I hurl it at her and it connects with her cheek. It doesn't hurt her, but it distracts her while I get up and run.

"Bitch! Using cheap tricks to escape...You're only prolonging the inevitable! Give up already!"

I say nothing, crawling behind a stack of boxes.

"Come out and face me! It's pointless trying to hide! Either way, you're as dead as that Kurosaki kid's mother!" She cackles maniacally and for a moment loses sight of her main goal, absorbed in her cruel taunts. "I'll cut you up like I did to her! I'll split you in half, no wait! Better yet...I'll wake the kid and make him watch, just like last time! Ha ha ha!"

She brags on about how she killed Mrs Kurosaki. It seems a good time to try and fight back again. I slink out of the shadows and peer over the top of a box.

Hisana is standing nearby, the axe held horizontally in front of her chest. Even though she is facing me, her eyes are focused elsewhere, still lost in her sadistic dreams. I glare at her and feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I'm ready for another round. I stand up, hoping to sneak out and hit her before she notices, but her reflexes are amazing. Her head snaps up and her eyes narrow at the sight of me.

"Caught you!" She brings the axe up above her head and runs towards me.

I try to find a weapon, or anything to defend myself, but there is nothing there. As she get's close I dive out of the way, but she swings the blade down in a diagonal arc, catching my ankle. The blade doesn't cut deep but it hit's with enough force to shatter my ankle. My foot bends inwards and waves of pain shoot through it. I fall flat on my face and cry out in agony.

I try to stand, but my ankle is sprained. The axe hit like a hammer and did some damage. I crawl away helplessly, Hisana stalking me like a wolf over a wounded deer. The axe comes down again and I roll aside as the heavy blade sinks through the floor, throwing splinters out in all directions. I shield my face and kick Hisana in the stomach, forcing her to let go of the hatchet. As she backs away I wrap my fingers around it and yank it out of the floor.

The weapon is remarkably heavy and for a moment I am astounded at how Hisana could even use the thing, but it soon sinks in that now is not the time to marvel.

I grunt as I lift the unwieldy weapon and stumble towards my opponent. Hisana glares at me and reaches into her pocket. She takes out a small object which looks like a lighter from a distance, but then the blade flicks out and I realise my mistake. She was carrying a flick knife this whole time...She was just waiting for the right time...And here I am, holding an axe above my head with no way to defend myself in a hurry.

Hisana's eyes gleam for the briefest of moment and so does the blade that rushes ever closer to my chest.

I try to lower the axe but before it is even beneath my head, the knife sinks in and is draw across my chest, creating a nasty gash that runs from my hear out to my side. I let go of the hatchet and drop to my knees, clutching the large wound which pumps warm blood out. A disgusting red stain spreads throughout the front of my shirt and I try in vain to cover the wound with my hands, but Hisana does not wait, she buries the thin blade into my back this time, creating another long scar down my back.

I fall to one side and my temple collides with the floor, making me dizzy and nauseous. Hisana rolls me onto my back and she kneels over me, the blade pressed against my throat.

"It was fun, but now it's over. I'm sorry sis. I would have loved to play a little longer, but you've put me in a bad mood. Instead, I'm just going to cut you up slowly...I want you to scream in agony, I want your blood to stain the floor, I want your body to convulse in your last death throes! I want to see you die!" Hisana's face no longer looks human. It's a distorted, twisted portrait of evil. An innocent girl's face contorted into a truly vile sight. One so sickening I can barely even look at her.

"Bye bye sis!"

I close my eyes and wait for the end. At least I can see Tatsuki again...And Inoue...And even Ichigo's mother. I can apologise to them all. I can see my friends again...

But then again, I don't want to die alone...If only I could be held, one last time before I die...Oh well; I guess it can't be helped. There's no more room in this world for poor little Rukia Kuchiki...She was the girl the world hated from the start, the one even her parent's couldn't bring themselves to love...Maybe it's for the best?

"RUKIA!"

The scream wakes me up. My eyes open wide and at first I see only Hisana, but then I see the man standing behind her. A boy with bright orange hair. It's Ichigo...

Hisana glances over her shoulder, only to be struck full in the face with the flat edge of the axe. Hisana topples over and rolls around screaming.

"FUCK! FUCK! ARGH IT HURTS! GRRRR! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Ichigo grabs my shoulders and groans, propping me up against a crate. He studies my wounds and then looks into my eyes. "I'm sorry I was so useless...I shouldn't have let my guard down. It's my fault."

"No." I smile, finally getting to use the speech he gave me. "It's not your fault. Hisana did this!"

Ichigo smiles back and then wraps his arms around me. We spend a while in each others arms while Hisana writhes about clawing at her face.

"AAAGH! DAMMIT! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Ichigo leans back and smiles. "Do you want to end this once and for all?"

I nod and extend a hand. He takes it and lifts me to my feet. He then hands me the axe and stands back. I slowly approach my evil twin, relishing in her agony. She finally knows the pain others have suffered during her cursed existence. It's the taste of her own medicine she desperately needed.

"It's over Hisana. You can't escape." I speak in a rigid voice, trying to remain calm.

"You're going to kill me? But...you know what that means right?"

I hesitate to end her life. Hisana smiles with bloodstained teeth. Her face is a mess after the strike from the axe. Bruises, blood and two wide staring eyes. It's hideous, but I can't look away.

"If you kill me...Then that mean's you will become me." Hisana grins devilishly.

"That's not true!" I cry.

"Oh, but it is. Murder is murder sis. You will be just like me...In a way I'm glad. My legacy will live on through you. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Shut up!"

"My death will give birth to an even greater monster, for anyone who could defeat me, must be a master of the killing arts!"

"I said shut up!" I roar, grasping the sides of my head.

"The world shall pay for shunning you Rukia! Make them feel the pain you suffered! Show them what true despair is! Do what I tried to do! Avenge your shattered heart!"

"NEVER!" I scream. "I'll never follow in your footsteps! The murders end here! The nightmares, the pain, the suffering, the fear it all ends here with your death! You are the one that made this world a living hell! You were the one who alienated me from everyone! It was you who made me feel despair! The only one who must suffer is you, Hisana!"

"You're deluding yourself with your petty grudge. I did nothing wrong. I only tried to make things right."

"Enough!" I lift the axe and glare at my sister. My hands tremble but I hold the weapon steady. I can't waste any more time. It has to end now!

"Wait!" Hisana cries out. "Before I die...I just wanted to tell you...I love you sis."

I fall silent and gaze into Hisana's wide eyes. We remain like this for a while, in total silence. Then a wicked smile crosses my face and my eyes blaze like minute suns.

"Nice try. Goodbye Hisana."

"NOOOOOO!"

Don't miss the stunning conclusion to 'Angel with Demon Wings'!

Now please review. For the duration of this story, only one person has been reviewing and I thank that person for it, but surely I am not writing merely for the entertainment of one person. If you are reading this, then write a review. Such a lack of feedback is disheartening and quite a set-back. I'm sure you'd be dissapointed if something you devoted so much time and effort into did not receive any acknowledgement. So come on, click on that little box down below and write a short comment. To have read this far ito the story and not have anything to say is quite pathetic.

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	13. Scarred For Life

**Scarred For Life**

As soon as the deed is done, I drop the axe and step back, my eyes focusing on the corpse of my twin sister, Hisana. My hands are shaking, but that's the least of my worries. I killed someone! This whole time, the thing stopping me from going insane was knowing that every murder...It was always her...But now...

"It's over." Ichigo murmurs, a deep sigh follows.

He hugs me and I stare off in the distance, my mind elsewhere. "What now?" I ask softly.

Ichigo glances at me, an uncertain look on his face. "What?"

"What do we do?" I repeat, stressing my words to get the message through to him.

"We tell the police. We tell them the truth."

"You mean, how I killed a woman who was borne from my own psyche and somehow became a real person? They'll lock me away! They'll call me crazy and I'll end up in a padded white room for the rest of my life!" My emotions get out of control and by the end I'm screaming at Ichigo, my sudden mood swing making him back away carefully.

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" I shriek. "I don't want them to take me away!"

Ichigo wraps an arm around me protectively. "Don't worry...I won't let them take you. Together we'll convince them."

His words help a little. His words always bring me back from the edge of despair. I wonder why...

"I think we should get to a hospital." Ichigo suggests, looking down at my bloodied clothes. I nod feebly and we approach the ladder down to the house.

Ichigo retrieves Matsumoto and brings her down before coming back up to help me down. When we're back in the second floor of Matsumoto's house, we descend the stairs and walk to the phone.

Ichigo rings for an ambulance, his voice cracking several times. I can see it in his eyes...He's not well. But at least he isn't in as bad shape as me. The large gashes still sting like a million wasps at once but I struggle on. I have to be strong, for just a little while longer.

When the arrangements are done, Ichigo leads me outside. I lean on his shoulder for support, like a wounded soldier. It's a slow process, but by the time we get outside the sirens can be heard.

We watch the horizon as it soon glows with brilliant blue and red lights. The convoy of emergency vehicles arrives and we are split up and taken to different ambulances.

For the duration of the ride, a doctor sits beside me, his body swaying from the movements of the ambulance. He asks me questions that I answer with as much honesty as I can. I tell them how I was attacked and had to confront my assailant inside the house.

The doctor nods and writes it down, even if he doesn't believe it. He then gives me reassuring talks about how "It's going to be fine." and how I'm "Safe now."

I nod and smile, distracting myself from the darker thoughts that plague my mind.

For the final stretch there is a brief silence, then the rumbling engine stops and loud shouts and commands get barked at various people. I gaze dazedly at the two men who open the back doors of the ambulance and wheel me out.

There's a lot of yelling, though I can't really interpret it. Their voices are becoming fuzzy; everything in my vision is a blur now. The world is getting darker. A blissful numbness overcomes me and for a while I get to forget about the pain...At least until even my consciousness fades...

* * *

I don't know how much time has passed. It was night when I killed Hisana, and now it's broad daylight. Sunlight spills through the room, illuminating the white walls, the white sheets, the white floor...

This place brings back the nightmares of living in an institution, though I convince myself that it's just a regular hospital.

There is a soft knock on the door. I try to speak, but a pitiful whimper is all that I manage. The guest steps into the room and stares at me. I stare back. I can't recognize him...

"Rukia..." He whispers, his voice deep, authorative. It feels like I've heard it before, but from where? The man frowns and takes a seat beside me. His hair is black with several small bangs falling over his forehead and reaching down to his eyes. His dark blue eyes ponder me and my condition, while I question this man's identity.

"Who..." I croak.

The question stuns him and his eyes narrow. "Rukia...Can you not remember me?" I shake my head sadly. Whoever it is, we must have been close at one point. "It's me...Your brother!"

It still doesn't sink in.

"I'm Byakuya! Remember?"

"Byakuya..." I repeat the name and soon it all comes back to me. I remember him now. The only other Kuchiki alive in this world, the one who never saw me, never spoke to me, never tried to contact me...The man I resented for shunning his own little sister!

He must be able to tell what I'm thinking, for his expression softens and he clasps my hand, gazing at me with a sympathetic frown. "I'm sorry." He says. The word hit's me like a ton of bricks. I never expected him to say hello, let alone apologise for his ways.

It brings me to tears and he pats my head and whispers soothing messages. I lunge at him, hugging him and weeping into his chest. He strokes my back and apologises again.

"I'm sorry Rukia. I'm sorry I was never there for you...I never tried to find you, even when mother and father told me about what happened. I always assumed it was for the best, but now I realise...You're just like any normal girl. You aren't ill; you are just an average girl..."

"Why?" I sob. Why did you never look for me?"

Byakuya sighs and bows his head. "I was embarrassed. I was too ashamed to see you...I treated you like a sick dog, abandoning you and forgetting...But now I realise the error in my ways. I'm so sorry for the pain I caused you."

Byakuya was always strong, He never cried, even as a child. Even now, he somehow avoids it. He buries his head in his hands and groans. "Rukia...Can you ever forgive me?"

It all comes as such a surprise. I don't have the time to contemplate it, I merely blurt out my answer. "Of course."

Byakuya smiles warmly and hugs me once more. "Your friend called me. He told me everything that happened and I came over as soon as I could."

"Friend? You mean Ichigo?" Byakuya nods curtly. "How long...Have I been unconscious?"

"Three days. You lost a lot of blood and fell into a coma. Thankfully, you're in a stable condition now. The doctors said you would make a full recovery."

Something makes me doubt that. As much as I'd like to believe I'm fully recovered, Hisana's actions have left a scar that will never heal. She caused me pain unlike anything else imaginable. What she has done can never be forgotten...The scars shall remain forever.

Byakuya asks me questions about my life and I tell him of my bland day to day routine in my dilapidated home, how my friends were all brutally murdered, how Tatsuki could not cope and hung herself. Byakuya listens with a sympathetic ear and he reassures me that things are going to get better from here on.

I want to talk to him more, but a nurse steps in and discretely asks him to leave. And with that, the first contact I've had with family in the past four years is over...

* * *

After a long session of staring blankly at the wall, someone finally get's my attention, a nurse sticking her head in. "You have a visitor." She smiles and then slips out leaving the vacant doorway to be taken up by someone else.

I squint at him, my brain still in disarray. My jumbled memories piece themselves together and I find the name to match the face. I refrain from speaking, my throat is still hoarse and my lengthy talk with my brother did not help.

Ichigo gazes down at me and slowly crosses over to me. He's holding a small bouquet which he drops onto a table beside me. He then takes a seat beside me and goes about asking me how I'm feeling and if it still hurts.

I answer distractedly, my mind focused on something else. "Byakuya...You...You contacted him?"

Ichigo nods slowly. "I remembered you telling me how he had never seen you since you were admitted into the institution. You told me he couldn't care less if you lived or died, but I couldn't believe it. I wanted to make sure my suspicions were correct. Why? Are you mad at me?"

I stare at him in silence for a minute before bursting into tears. "Thank you..." I whisper.

Ichigo smiles and rests his head against mine. We remain like that for some time, speaking softly. We continue to do so until the sun begins to set. By then, a nurse pokes her through the door and tells Ichigo to leave. He waves goodbye and departs, leaving me with a weak smile. It's wonderful. I feel...Happy...

I remained in hospital for four more days. Every day Byakuya and Ichigo would drop by separately. They would talk for a while and then we would enjoy each others company silently, basking in the warmth it brought.

Matsumoto even visited a few times. She checked up on me and apologised for falling for Hisana's trick. She still didn't understand, none of us really did, but I was able to forgive her. She giggled and told me that she'd take me out shopping once I was better, that she would help renovate my dilapidated flat and that she would be my best friend forever.

The sentiment was nice and it made me feel far better than I actually was. The pains still hit every now and then, but it's mostly under control with strong painkillers.

* * *

I was released two days ago. I moved back into my flat and got regular visits from everybody. But right now, I am alone.

The only one I get to talk to is myself. I stare at my shadow on the wall. My hair is messed up in a way that gives my shadow self horns. I chuckle at that and then stroll into the next room.

There is a light dripping noise in this room. That's funny, because I plugged all the leaks yesterday...

Curiously, I approach the source of the leak and notice a dark patch on the ceiling. It's a disgusting brown colour. I watch a droplet form on the ceiling and then fall down to splatter on the carpet. An ominous stain has formed there now.

Something is upstairs...And it's leaking.

I go up to the second storey of the building and approach the abandoned guest room which sits above the living room downstairs. The door handle is cold and it makes my skin stand on edge. I withdraw my hand and try again. The door swings open with a loud creak. I look around and find nothing out of place.

I can still hear the dripping and I follow the sound to a dusty rug on the floor. I lift it up and notice a floorboard that is raised higher than the others. I grip it with my thin fingers and lift it up. As it comes free, those around it come free as well, slowly uncovering something between the floor and the ceiling. It's too dark to see, so I switch on the light.

Once again I peer down into the cavity, discovering something curled up inside. I study it and it dawns on me that it's a corpse...A familiar one at that. I roll it over and study the face. It's Hisana!

I sit back and laugh. I remember now. I put her there myself, keeping her close so that she can never escape again. I guess I've gotten used to having her with me always, so this was a natural thing to do.

They say people have skeletons in their closet, but mine lies under the floorboards. That way she will know what it's like to be walked over for your entire life...A fitting punishment for her.

It makes me wonder; maybe I really did pick up some of Hisana's personality...Just maybe...

Maybe...I really am an angel...With demon wings...

_**END...**_

Well, that's the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed it, though it's hard to tell with the lack of reviews. Anyway, I thank you for reading. I especially want to thank those who reviewed (there are only two of you, but your feedback was a great help.) Now, having coming all this way, surely you must have something to say. Did you like it, love it, hate it? I can't improve if I do not know what's wrong. 

Well anyway, thanks so much for reading, if you enjoyed it, then please tell me. If not, I need to know where I went wrong...

**SO REVIEW!**


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